Chickpea Salad

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Do you remember a time when women would make food for everything?  Funerals, showers, hospitalizations, births: You name it, there was always good food.  I started thinking about all of this when I was going through my greatgrandmothers' recipes.  There were so many for salads.  I remember them being one of my favorite parts of the meal besides dessert.  My mom even used to make this pistachio fluff for Thanksgiving that I looked forward to every year.  Where have those days gone?

Naturally, salads have been on my mind.  So last weekend when I had a family reunion to attend with a pot luck dinner it was the perfect opportunity to make a few salads.  The chickpea salad I made was a highlight and I can see it being a regular at the dinner table all summer long.  It's cold, refreshing, and filling.   

Chickpea Salad

15 oz drained chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 medium cucumber diced
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 medium tomato, diced

Note: The vegetables can change with what you have available from the farmers market or your garden.

Vinaigrette
1 tsp dijon mustard
3 TBS apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (any vinegar will work)
3 TBS olive oil
salt and fresh cracked pepper
fresh parsley or other herbs (optional)


Directions
Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together until the mixture turns from transparent to cloudy. If you have fresh herbs, toss everything in the food processor to blend well.
Add the diced cucumber, tomatoes, beans, and corn to the vinaigrette and mix.  Refrigerate.  It can be consumed immediately, but it's better when the vinaigrette has a chance to marinate.