Chilled Chickpea & Everything Salad

This is a simple salad made with chickpeas along with tomatoes,cucumber,green pepper with a basil-mint dressing.The salad is perfect for summer and you can actually add more and more ingredients to this salad like cooked pasta,lightly steamed sprouts or veggies, nuts, granola, crumbled cottage cheese(paneer,tofu) etc.Hence the term "everything" in the title.Just mix together the ingredients, and the dressing and serve.

Ingredients:
Chickpeas: 1/2 cup
Onion: 1 small chopped
Green Bell Pepper: 1 small or chopped 1/4 cup
Tomatoes: 1/4 cup chopped or halved cherry tomatoes
Cucumber: optionally peeled,deseeded and chopped: 1/4 cup

Dressing:
Basil: 2 tbsp
Mint: 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice: 2 tbsp

Salt
Pepper

Preparation:
Dressing:

Puree in a blender the mint and basil leaves adding lemon juice.The dressing is ready.The proportion of the herbs can be changed as per choice .I prefer basil than mint so I added basil more than mint though in the guestimates I have gone for equal portions.

Salad:

Presoak chickpeas in water and cook till done.You can also use canned chickpeas.Drain the chickpeas and add to a big bowl.Add in to it the chopped tomatoes,chopped pepper,chopped cucumber and little salt and pepper.Pour in the dressing.Toss everything well and adjust the salt and pepper.

Chill in the fridge and serve optionally garnished with more herbs.

The salad can also be served at room temperature though it is advisable to chill and serve especially in summer.It is beter if the salad is prepared atleast 2 hours before serving time so that the flavours can blend in.The salad is hearty and can be served as a side salad or with the addition of pasta,brownrice or bulgur can be turned into a one pot meal as well.

The salad is going to NCR:Chickpeas at Lisa's and also to MLLA-21 at Mirch Masala,an event originally by the Well Seasoned Susan.
UPDATE on 22.03.10 - The salad also pariticipates in Usha's Healthy Inspiration - Salads.