Piquant Chickpea Salad

Drain and rinse the contents of:

two 15-oz. cans of chickpeas, a.k.a. garbanzo beans (if you've cooked some yourself, use about 3-4 cups for this recipe)

Put the beans in a bowl and add:

1/3 cup finely chopped onions (green or sweet)

In a shaker or separate bowl, combine:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
salt to taste

Pour over bean & onion mixture. Chill several hours to blend flavors, stirring occasionally so all your beans get a chance to bathe in the glory.

I like to use green onions for the visual appeal. If I use sweet onion, I might add some sliced black olives to add the visual interest.

This is a nice salad to take to a potluck. You can make it the day before. Take it out of the fridge ahead of time and let it come back to room temperature for better flavor.

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This recipe is slightly tweaked from the original in one of my favorite cookbooks, Lean and Luscious and Meatless by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder (c. 1992, Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA).