Chickpeas & Cucumber salad with mint and garlic dressing

I love chickpeas. It can be in any form and I would eat it without hesitation. And one of the things chickpeas is used the most in Southern Indian households is in the use of salad called 'Sundal' in Tamil or 'Guggari' in kannada. I make quite a few of these since it is a nice source of protein for us vegetarians.

The moment I received the package of Roasted Garlic O Olive Oil and White Balsamic vinegar, courtesy of O Olive Oil , I knew I am making a salad out of the two products. This product review organized by 'Erecipecards' had to have a recipe using the products given. So, here is the easy, one pot meal kind of salad that is not only filling but has all the goodness of veggies and beans.

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Ingredients: 
Chickpeas - 2 cups dried (Or use 4 cans of 15 Oz rinsed and drained)
English Cucumbers - 2 chopped into chunks (if using regular cucumbers, peel and seed before chopping and use about 3 - 4)
Olives - 1/2 cup halved

For the dressing:
Roasted garlic O Olive Oil (Or extra virgin olive oil) - 4 TBSP
White Balsamic vinegar (or vinegar of your choice) - 4 TBSP
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 TBSP
Garlic - 2 pods (Increase it to 5 if using regular extra virgin olive oil)
Mint leaves - Loosely packed 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 3 - 4 (Or black pepper to taste)


Method:
If using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight in enough water. Drain and add fresh water and pressure cook till soft. Drain and place it in a bowl. When the chickpeas have cooled to room temperature, add cucumbers and olives to the same bowl.
To make the dressing, take all the ingredients mentioned in 'For the dressing' section in a small jar of a blender. Turn it on to get a paste consistency. Pour it on the salad ingredients and toss. Adjust the salt if required. Let it sit for an hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Notes:
You can add red onions and even tomatoes to it. Dressing was perfectly balanced with flavors. You could use up to 1/2 cup of olive oil as per the general dressing formula. I didn't want so much fat in the dressing so used the same quantity as the vinegar. If you are using canned chickpeas, go easy on salt.

Enjoy.

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