Garlic Citrus Chickpeas

I moved this summer—from Dream House, our big old community Craftsman on North Beacon Hill, to a one-bedroom apartment in North Fremont. It’s been a big transition and felt in many ways like moving to a new city. I’m still getting used to apartment kitchen cooking.

I turned to some version of this simple recipe all summer long. Basically, we’re using citrus and garlic to punch up a can of chickpeas, then amending with herbs, tomatoes, and a crispy snap pea.

They’re delicious and refreshing—a zesty breakfast with some sharp cheddar on crusty toast, a perfect afternoon snack with a scoop of rice and a few roasted potatoes, a nourishing and bright topping for just about any soup, delicious in a quesadilla. Make a batch and use them to add some extra color, texture, brightness, and nourishment to your meals.

Ingredients

Juice and zest of one or two lemons or limes, or some combination
One or two garlic cloves, microplaned or minced, depending on size and garlic level desires
Generous pinch of kosher salt
Generous crack of fresh black pepper
Optional glug of olive oil
Handful of pretty fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped up roughly
One jar of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
Generous handful of snap peas, trimmed and cut on the bias
½ bunch of chopped cilantro or parsley, half bunch of green onions chopped, or a little chopped shiso* (or some combination of them all)
A little sprinkling of sesame seeds

Make it

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the juice and zest of your lemons or limes, garlic, salt, pepper, optional olive oil, cherry tomatoes, and chickpeas. Give all the ingredients a good stir and let marinate for a minute or two.
Fold in your snap peas, herbs of choice, and a little sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Taste! If the chickpeas end up tasting flat or boring, add more lemon or lime juice and more salt until they don’t taste flat and boring anymore.

Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate promptly in an airtight container and use within one week to add a little sparkle to your meals.

A little about shiso

*Have you cooked with shiso before? It’s a lovely, floral herb used in Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian food. I always pick up a bouquet of purple shiso for under two bucks when I stop at Mekong Market in Rainier Beach. I encourage you to play around with it. My favorite use for it is a generous handful brewed into a gorgeous pot of herbal tea.

Substitutions

Like always, feel free to play around! Sub snow peas or finely julienned red bell pepper for the snap peas for a little crunchy sweetness. Use whatever type of beans you have on hand in place of chickpeas. And don’t be shy about getting creative with the herbs.