Nitrate & Nitrite Free Vegan Fresh Chickpea Cucumber Salad
This bright, herb-loaded salad is the kind of dish that makes you want to eat more vegetables without any convincing. Crisp cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, and hearty chickpeas come together with fresh parsley and mint for a combination that feels light yet genuinely satisfying. The dressing is a simple whisk of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and ground cumin — bold, citrusy, and completely free of any processed or cured ingredients that often sneak nitrates and nitrites into otherwise clean meals. Every single component here is a whole, recognizable food, which makes this an easy win for anyone keeping a close eye on what goes into their plate. Letting the salad rest for ten minutes before serving is a small step that makes a big difference, giving the chickpeas time to soak up all that lemony, cumin-spiced dressing. It works equally well as a standalone lunch or a generous side at dinner, and it holds up beautifully if you want to make it ahead.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 english cucumber, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ cup red onion, finely diced
- ⅓ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, ground cumin, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using, until combined.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, and mint.
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