It is a stunning day in Béjar – a warm breeze, blue sky, and an orchestra of birds in full swing from the tree behind the van. A nightingale, a wren, a blackcap, a golden oriole, and a particularly rowdy sparrow. It is the kind of day where you want a chickpea salad – something light, fresh, and full of colour, and preferably without firing up the hob.
After Dublin Coddle on Saturday night and sausage and tomato sandwiches for Sunday brunch, the meat is getting a rest. This chickpea salad in the sun is what replaced it — a jar of chickpeas, some feta, red onion, Italian red pepper, cucumber, spring garlic from the market, fresh parsley, celery seeds, chilli flakes, and a generous sprinkle of nutritional yeast — a deactivated yeast with a savoury, umami-rich flavour that adds depth without dairy — for a finish that is hard to describe but always welcome.
No cooking. No faff. Throw it together, make the lemon dressing, and eat it outside with a cold drink and the birdsong going.
Chickpea Salad — Ingredients
(serves 1)
- 1 small jar of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 50g feta cheese, diced
- ¼ red onion, finely sliced
- 1 Italian red pepper, thinly sliced
- A chunk of cucumber, diced
- A few stems of spring garlic, finely chopped
- A small handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- A pinch of celery seeds
- A pinch of dried chilli flakes
- A generous sprinkle of nutritional yeast
For the lemon dressing:
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and tip into a bowl.
- Add the feta, red onion, red pepper, cucumber, spring garlic, parsley, celery seeds, chilli flakes, and nutritional yeast. Toss gently.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small jar. Taste and adjust.
- Pour the dressing over the salad just before eating. Serve immediately.
This chickpea salad recipe works equally well at home – no van required.
This recipe is also part of my growing Campervan Cooking Recipes collection — real van life meals cooked on a two-ring hob, no proper kitchen required.
For a chickpea flatbread to go alongside, try this recipe.
This chickpea salad is part of my Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection. Wonky photos, proper produce, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef
