Easy Mediterranean Salad; Low Cholesterol and Heart Healthy

Let's Talk Salads 

Salads are a great heart healthy food but they can be quite boring and bland. I cannot eat the same bland salad with lettuce all the time. I don't like commercial salad dressings which mostly tastes artificial to me and are filled with unhealthy ingredients like salt and other stuff that are not heart healthy. 

So I came up with many different salads; either with Indian or Italian spices which are healthy and tastes delicious. 

This chickpea salad is super tasty, filled with heart healthy ingredients and very quick to prepare. This is a staple in our household. 

🥗 Chickpea Salad with Cucumber, Tomato, and, onions (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz) of chickpeas (drained and rinsed to remove any salt) or unsalted/low salt can of chickpeas (still rinse it)
• 1 large cucumber (diced) (I prefer English cucumber because it is crunchier and has less seeds and tend to be less mushy interior)
• 2 medium tomatoes (diced)
• 1 small red or yellow onion (thinly sliced or finely chopped)
• Little bit of chopped jalapenos (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• Lemon juice for added tanginess
• ¼ teaspoon of cayenne powder to add some spiciness to it

Instructions:

1. Prep the veggies: Dice cucumber and tomatoes, thinly slice or chop the onion, and slice the olives.
2. Mix: In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, onions
3. Dress: Drizzle the olive oil over the salad. Sprinkle with cumin powder, and cayenne pepper
4. Toss & Taste: Gently toss everything together to coat evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
5. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and chopped fresh cilantro (optional) for extra flavor.
6. Chill (Optional): Let it sit in the fridge for 10–15 minutes to let flavors meld.