eat hungrily: chickpea & romaine salad with lemon-parmesan vinaigrette

It's hot. Finally. And I'm sucking back a homemade popsicle just so that I can cope with the heat a little better. You see, there are very few places in Vancouver that have air conditioning (the joys of a temperate climate), so we just make do. Homemade popsicles, ice tea in tall glasses beaded with sweat, finding a shady spot for a barbecue. Anything to avoid that large, glaring appliance, the stove.

This meal was made after a rousing game of tennis. Cornelius and I were hot, tired and sweaty. We were also famished and turning on the stove wasn't an option. Not at all. So I dug around the cupboard and fridge and made this salad. It was perfect. Bright with lemon juice but with a creamy balance from the parmesan. Quick to prepare and easy to love. I declare this the salad of my summer. Let the hot, hot days of summer continue.

More salads for when turning on your oven isn't an option:
canelli bean and tuna salad
colourful chopped vegetable salad
incredibly lemony potato salad
mixed bean salad
refrigerator pickles

chickpea & romaine salad with lemon-parmesan vinaigrette
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 lemon, zested & juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
a good pinch of kosher salt
1/4 t red chili flakes
good olive oil
2-3 T parmesan cheese
1 head of romaine, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces

Add the chickpeas to a large bowl. In a small jar, mix together the lemon juice, zest, garlic, salt and chili flakes and pour in enough olive oil so that it doubles the amount of lemon juice. Pour over the chickpeas. Add in lettuce and parmesan cheese and toss until well combined. Eat up, hungrily.