Chop til you drop salad

This past weekend, I had three girls coming over for an early dinner. I couldn't figure out what to make- this was my opportunity to make something girly (aka meatless and different...)! Chicken just didn't sound right for 5:00 p.m., and I wasn't up for making five different mini-appetizers because of the time commitment. I started searching the Internet for entree salad ideas and hit the jackpot! Based on Guy Fieri's recipe, I chopped up this masterpiece. Not only did it taste amazing (excuse my absence of modesty here...), it looked so pretty. Two days later, I packed it for lunch and had an even better experience since the bread had more time to absorb the dressing (although the veggies weren't as crisp, but that didn't bother me). I really can't wait to make this again!

Chop til you drop salad

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 red bell pepper, diced 
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeds removed (cut in half and scoop them out with spoon), and diced 

1 large carrot, peeled

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp capers

2 tsp freshly chopped Italian parsley leaves

3 tbsp freshly chopped basil leaves
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tbsp cider vinegar

3 (1-inch thick) slices sourdough bread

2 tsp oregano

2 tbsp parmesan cheese
4 tbsp olive oil (divided)

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 avocado, cut in half, pitted and flesh diced

1. In a large bowl, toss together chickpeas, tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, carrot, garlic, capers, parsley and basil. Drizzle in the vinegars, 1 tbsp of oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss and let sit for at least 20 minutes (or a couple hours) in the refrigerator.
2. Just before you are ready to serve, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Toss with remaining 3 tbsp oil. Toast lightly in a non-stick pan on the stove, adding in the oregano and parmesan cheese when almost toasted.
3. Add the toasted bread, avocado and feta to the salad, toss, and serve!

Tip- Use your imagination in terms of the vegetables, vinegars and cheese used in this salad. Don't be deterred if you are missing something from the ingredient list, just leave it out, I promise it will still rock your world. The original recipe called for goat cheese, which I didn't have. I also adjusted the vinegars to use what was in my pantry, but would still recommend using 3 tbsp- half balsamic and thee other half any type of light-colored vinegar.

Little something extra special- After peeling the cucumber, I didn't want to waste the cute curled peel. Since cucumber is delicious in water, add it to a pitcher and it will make a great presentation!