Chopped salad with hummus vinaigrette

Chopped salad with hummus vinaigrette

Now that local fresh vegetables are at their peak, it's easy to throw together a light, refreshing meal without too much work.  This salad can be made with whatever vegetables you like or have on hand.  A generous dollop of your favorite hummus added to a basic vinaigrette pulls this all together.

Chopped salad with hummus vinaigrette

serves 4

Hummus vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hummus (any variety or leftover homemade)
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar (apple cider, white balsamic or wine)
1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey (optional or to taste)
sea salt to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the salt until a thoroughly combined and smooth.  Thin the dressing with a little water if you find it too thick.  Season with salt to taste.  This will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Chopped salad

6 cups of your favorite vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces*

1 1/2 cups chickpeas (drained and rinsed if canned)

1/4 cup finely minced fresh herbs or 1 tablespoon dried (basil, thyme, tarragon, oregano, marjoram, sage, parsley and mint are all good choices, mix and match to taste)

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

4 slices of whole grain bread or 2 whole wheat pitas toasted and cut or torn into bite sized pieces (optional)

1 -2 sliced or cubed avocados (optional)

In a large bowl, add the cut up vegetables, chickpeas and herbs.  Pour as much hummus vinaigrette as desired over the vegetables and toss gently to coat.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, put 1/4 of the bread cubes on the serving bowl or plate.  Spoon the dressed chopped vegetable salad over the bread cubes and top with sliced or cubed avocado if using.  Top with some freshly ground pepper.

* in the bowl above are:  cucumber, sweet pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, lightly steamed green beans; others to consider:  zucchini or other summer squash, corn kernels, shelled peas or edamame, lightly steamed asparagus or any other sturdy vegetable you like) 

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Some of this harvest became the chopped salad above

Other salad inspiration:

Hummus

Confetti salad

Salad greens with vegan feta