Even though we are still facing a lot of food shortages during this pandemic, I was surprised to see something when I went to the grocery store this week. The produce section was well stocked, while shelf-stable items were often sold out. People are afraid to purchase perishables, so I believe that is why it happened. I had to rethink my strategy. For the first week, I will be focusing on fresh ingredients and then switch to shelf-stable recipes the following week or until my next grocery trip. After trying so many different pantry recipes, I am now craving fresh produce hard. So, this week, I bought fresh Parsley, cilantro and a pint each of tomatoes and made this super easy Chimichurri Chickpea Salsa.

CHIMICHURRI CHICKPEA SANTA SALAD

This salad makes a great side dish when the weather warms up. This salad would be great with any grilled meat. I can see it pairing well with Herb Roasted Pork Loin or Balsamic chicken and mushrooms if you cook inside.

You can make this a vegetarian meal by adding pita bread or crusty bread to the salad.

HOW TO USE LEFTOVER PARSLEY & CILANTRO

After making this salad, don’t let any of the cilantro or Parsley go to waste! You can use cilantro and Parsley in so many dishes. This chickpea recipe uses half of my Chimichurri Recipe. However, you can always use the whole batch for this salad and then dip some crusty bread with the remaining half. This will make more use of your cilantro and Parsley.

These are other great ways to use Parsley and cilantro.

  • Scallion Herb Chickpea Salad
  • Cilantro Lime Rice
  • Feta and Roasted Carrot
  • Quinoa Tabbouleh
  • Easy Cilantro Lime Chicken
  • Cucumber and Black Bean Salad
  • Parsley Pesto Pasta With Peas

Scroll down to see the steps involved in storing leftover feta.

CHIMICHURRI CHICKPEA SANTA FE

This chickpea salad is simple and delicious, thanks to homemade chimichurri, feta and other ingredients. This salad is great for summer grilling.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

CHIMICHURRI

  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Parsley ($0.18)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro ($0.10)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.42)
  • 2 Tbsp red vinegar ($0.20).
  • 1 clove minced garlic ($0.08)
  • 1/2 tsp dried Oregano ($0.05).
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin ($0.02)
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper ($0.02)
  • 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)

SALAD

  • 2 15oz. Cans chickpeas ($0.98)
  • 1-pint grape tomatoes ($1.69)
  • 2 oz. Feta ($1.09)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • First, make the chimichurri. Drain the cilantro and fresh Parsley. The cilantro and Parsley should be chopped roughly. Next, add the olive oil, red vinegar, minced garlic and crushed red pepper to a bowl. Mix well and set aside the dressing.
  • Rinse both chickpea cans and drain them. Cut the grape tomatoes in half. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes and chickpeas. Add the feta to the bowl. Then drizzle the chimichurri on top. Mix to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready for consumption (up to 4 days).

NUTRITION

Serving Size: 1 cup Calories: 328.57 Kcal Carbohydrates are 35.67 G Protein: 13.58 G Fat: 15.98g Sodium 675.75 mg Fiber 11.7g