Chickpea Avocado Salad

So much color and fresh veggies in this easy Chickpea Avocado Salad with arugula and feta. Packed with protein and a salad that will fill you up. Ready in 20 minutes, no cooking required and a perfect compliment to any meal!

I swear I will go November through March without a single salad, but the second that spring hits, it's over. Gimme color, gimme fresh and gimme all the veggies.

When I need to bring a salad to a summer gathering, this is garbanzo bean salad is one of my favorites if I am not making my Tomato Basil Pasta Salad or Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad.

Why this Chickpea Avocado Salad is the Best:

1. Lots of color. Tomatoes, arugula, chickpeas, feta, red onion--I know Skittles says, "taste the rainbow," but this is one heck of a rainbow as well.
2. Plenty of protein. Between the avocado and the chickpeas, this Chickpea Avocado Salad is packing the protein so you stay fueled and raring to go after eating it.
3. Easy to whip up. Aside from chopping some veggies, you simply toss and eat.

Ingredients for this recipe:

• chickpeas: You don't have to use canned chickpeas. Just make sure they are pre-cooked. Try cooking your own dried chickpeas!
• cucumbers: I prefer English Cucumbers. If you cannot find them, any cucumber will work!
• avocado: make sure your avocado is not too ripe. You want it soft but still firm. If the avocado is too ripe, it will get mushy when tossing the salad and spread into little pieces.
• tomato: grape or cherry will work well
• feta: freshly crumbled for the best flavor, but any feta will work!
• arugula: You can really use your favorite green or green mix. Spring greens, baby spinach and others will work well. Arugula is one of my favorite greens!
• onion: my preference is red onion. It adds color and the right flavor.
• lemon juice: freshly squeezed versus the stuff in the bottle if possible
• red wine vinegar: I think the red wine vinegar is a key ingredient in this chickpea avocado salad. I don't suggest subbing it for something else, however if you don't have any, a little bit of apple cider vinegar would work.
• olive oil: a nice extra virgin olive oil for all the flavor
• garlic: freshly minced is ideal
• seasoning: a bit of salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Sometimes I toss in some oregano as well, but honestly, just the basic spices do the trick1

How to make this Chickpea Salad Recipe:

This chickpea arugula and avocado salad is almost too easy to whip up. Almost. Chop and toss--that is about it!

1. Chop up all the veggies. Add them along with the avocado, chickpeas and feta in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
2. Add in the lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and spices. Toss to combine and evenly coat.
3. Dig in or chill until ready to enjoy!

Can I make this chickpea salad vegan?

Absolutely! You can very easily make this chickpea avocado salad vegan by either omitting the feta cheese or adding a vegan feta in its place. All the other ingredients are naturally vegan!

Recipe Notes and Tips:

• You can make this Chickpea Avocado Salad a day in advance, however, I suggest waiting to add the avocado until you are ready to serve it. This will make sure the salad is nice and pretty instead of starting off with some brown avocado.
• Feel free to vary the leafy greens or add more. I love arugula, but chopped baby spinach or a spring green mix is great as well. You could even add some kale!
• Make sure your avocado is not too soft. You will want a soft but slightly firm avocado so that when you toss this chickpea salad together, it doesn't get mushy and break down.

Serving Suggestions and Variations:

• For a complete meal, you can toss some chicken into this salad or serve with warm grilled chicken slices over top. Shrimp or butter herb salmon would be great as well!
• Stuff this salad in a warm fresh pita.
• You can change up the herbs as well. Fresh parsley, dill or even basil are great options if you are not a fan of cilantro.
• Serve alongside your favorite burger or some bbq chicken.

Other Salad Recipes:

• Strawberry Summer Quinoa Salad
• Tomato Basil Rotini Pasta Salad
• Cucumber Feta Quinoa Salad
• Caprese Farro Salad Recipe
• Strawberry Poppy Seed Rotisserie Chicken Salad

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