Chickpea Salad With Sage And Red Pepper

I've made a million variations of this salad and it is always a winner. I had a few cups of leftover chickpeas from the curry I made Friday, so this seemed like a perfect recipe. Served over rice with warm homemade pita bread, it was a lovely meal for a warm evening.

I spent the afternoon making pickled beets, pickled onions, and pickled hard-boiled eggs. I'll photograph them tomorrow when they've had a chance to absorb more of the beet juice.

I made caramels on Friday and that was a bad idea. Normally, Mr. Eat The Blog would take half the batch to work for sharing, but seeing how it was Friday, I spent the weekend stuffing my face with chocolate covered caramels. I'll be glad when he takes what's left with him tomorrow-assuming there are any left to take.

As I was complaining how I'd gain ten pounds from eating all those candies (as I reached for yet another) Mr. Eat The Blog replied:

"Well, that's OK-you need to gain the weight."

Which I most certainly do not, but I love him for saying it.

You Will Need:

3-4 cups cooked chickpeas, as many skins removed as possible
About ten small-medium sized sage leaves
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
Roasted red pepper-optional
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt
pepper
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a large frying pan heat the oil, garlic and sage over medium heat until fragrant-about three minutes. Add the spices, salt and pepper and mix well. Add the chickpeas and red pepper and cook another minute to coat. Remove to bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve warm or at room temperature.