Back to Business

The business of food of course! Now that we’ve settled back into our daily routines and rolled through the mountains of laundry (Well, it’s almost all folded anyway!),  we’re back in the kitchen working our way around the world. For the next few weeks we’ll be sampling various recipes from the country of Armenia.

A former republic of the Soviet Union, Armenia is a mountainous country and lies in both Western Asia and Eastern Europe. The cuisine in Armenia is really rather varied, but almost always includes an extensive amount of fresh ingredients. For our first recipe we went with an Armenian side dish that we thought had a chance of winning over Mr. N and Miss A, an Armenian Chickpea Salad.

This is a simple salad that requires very little preparation time and absolutely no cooking time – it already has the makings of becoming a weeknight staple around here. All that you need is a can of chickpeas, a bunch of parsley, green onions, paprika, cumin, olive oil and a lemon. 

We began the recipe by draining and rinsing the chickpeas in cold water.

Then we chopped the green onions and parsley.

Next we tossed all the ingredients, including the oil, lemon juice and seasonings, together in a bowl. We finished it off with a bit of sea salt and pepper.

We then placed the salad in the refrigerator to chill for a while. Finally as we neared serving time, we minced some fresh garlic,

which we served over the top of the Armenian chickpea salad. It made for a fresh, aromatic and light side for the evening’s dinner.

First in with a vote was Mike. He thought it was a great side dish and ended up having a couple of helpings. It garnered a solid 3 spoons from him.

Mr. N was next. He wasn’t as thrilled with the dish as I was hoping. He thought it was ok, but thought the lemon was a bit much. So he gave it 2 spoons. Miss A was not a fan. She prefers her chickpeas roasted and seasoned – end of story. So as she bluntly offered up, “One spoon. I don’t like it.” (At least she didn’t “hate” it this time.)

As for me, I originally came in with 2-1/2 spoons. It was good, but I found it a bit uninspiring…That is until I had some inside a pita with hummus the next day. YUM! Now that was delicious. It was definitely a 3 spoon recipe now and maybe even pushing 4 spoons. I’ll be happy to make this for my weekly lunches and serve it up in a wrap or pita. Even Mr. N agreed and asked if I would put it in his lunch this week! So despite its bumpy start, this one actually ended up a winner. It’s easy. It’s healthy. And 3 out of 4 of us will certainly keep eating it! (As for Miss A, I’m wondering if a splash of vinegar would get her on the bandwagon!)

Print this recipe: Armenian Chickpea Salad

52 thoughts on “Back to Business”

  4. Hotly Spiced says:
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    I have never made Armenian food but I will definitely make this salad as I have many cans of chickpeas in my pantry. This salad looks like it would be very good for you and delicious as well.

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  5. profiterolesandponytails says:
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    Glad that you are back in business!!! What a great idea to have the salad in a pita with hummus. I hope to have this for lunch on Saturday as it sounds both delicious and healthy! As for the spoon ratings, is it really possible to please everyone in the family with one meal?

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  9. Caroline says:
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    But no cooking time!? I love the sound of that. It looks so fresh and colorful. Welcome back, Kristy! Ohhh, I can imagine how throwing this in a pita and dipping in hummus would take it to a whole different level. mmm!

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    • Kristy says:
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      I’m definitely making it for lunches again this next week too. I experimented with different hummus varieties this week and my favorite was a spicy hummus. Sooooo good. 🙂

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  12. spicegirlfla says:
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    Yumm!! I have a good friend who is Armenian and I love her food! It’s pretty much Mediterranean and this salad showcases their food perfectly!! I could pack that up for lunch any day! Plus now with the Lent season, it will be perfect for Fridays!

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  13. Purely.. Kay says:
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    You know, some recipes are like that. By themselves they are not bad but alright.. but when paired with something simple, it just brings out the dish even more. I am always baffled when that happens because I immediately try to find something that will bring out the dish lol. You did a good job adding the pita of course.

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  14. Kelly @ Inspired Edibles says:
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    I’m all about no cooking time 😉 – the simpler, the better (and that often means the fresher). Yay for chickpea salad! Satisfying and delicious without being heavy and the seasonings are so yummy in your version…love the addition of paprika and parsley – so fresh looking. Haha, I’m with Miss A on the vinegar! :).

    (beautiful, healthy white nails mom!)

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  15. Eva Taylor says:
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    It’s no secret Kristy that I love chick peas and lemon juice; I love your idea of stuffing a pita full of this little salad. I’d love it for my lunch any day of the week.

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  17. Just A Smidgen says:
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    All I could keep thinking about when reading your blog, was what a great mom and dad you two are! Your children are being educated in geography, traditions and customs, and their little palates are being developed far beyond most at their age! Love this idea for a side-dish with the hummus and pita.. very healthy vegetarian lunch! xo Smidge

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  19. smartfoodandfit says:
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    Yeah! Armenian cuisine! My husband is half Armenian and the food is very similar to MidEastern Foods. This salad is similar to tabouli salad but instead of bulgar it’s chickpeas. I love the ingredients for this sald, it all helps support a strong immune system an a healthy heart! Glad you are back in business! 🙂

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    • Kristy says:
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      That’s right! You’ve mentioned that! Hopefully we’ll do his heritage proud. 🙂 And yay for a strong immune system. There’s so much going around right now (as you know!).

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  22. Charles says:
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    “At least she didn’t “hate” it this time.”

    More to the point, at least she didn’t over-turn the plate onto the table and roll the chickpeas all over the table, right? 😀

    I’m really looking forward to your Armenian tour – It’s funny one can live comparatively close to these countries (well, same continent at least, right?) and yet know nothing about the food, the people or the culture. I’m looking forward to learning through you.

    Lovely dish to kick it off – simple but wonderful ingredients – beautiful fresh parsley and lemon juice – I think this would be a win in my book. I’d no doubt like it on its own – I love chickpeas, although I bet it must be fabulous with hummus too!

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    • Kristy says:
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      LOL! You’ve got that right Charles! That would have been an interesting mess to clean up. So far so good, we seem to be past the throwing phase. 😉 (Watch though, no sooner than I say that…LOL) I think you would love this with your homemade pitas and hummus Charles. I’d recommend spicy hummus. That was my favorite. 🙂

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  23. ChgoJohn says:
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    I really don’t use chick peas that much and this salad looks like a good way to get reacquainted. Using it to stuff a pita was a great idea, Kristy! Come to think of it, what doesn’t taste better in a pita?

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