perfect sides

Sometimes, a meal is made complete simply by adding the perfect side dish. Don't get me wrong, there is a reason why main dishes are the main dish- they are the stars of the show. But, we can't forget about those supporting actors, the side dishes. I absolutely love my side dishes. In my opinion, there should never just be one thing on your plate- how boring! I like having multiple small dishes, or one large dish with a side for dinner -who doesn't like having multiple options to choose from when eating?

When I'm making dinner for friends, while obviously I let the main dish stand out, I always make sure to have some dishes doing their thing on the side too. Not only can people pick and choose what they'd like to eat, they can try multiple things which is always nice. Additionally, it is really hard to cook for 6 or 8! Sometimes, by beefing up a meal with side dishes, you can avoid just making an easy, huge pot of pasta for dinner (not that pasta can't be delicious).

When I had my friends over the other day, I made delicious Spring Risotto, and I definitely wanted to make some delicious sides to accompany it. One of my favorite ingredients that is delish and great to use when having a group of people over, is the chickpea. Chickpeas are super versatile, and wonderfully available and cheep! They can be easily made into hummus, go great with herbed and stewed veggies, and fit perfectly into salads. For this dish, I let the chickpeas be the star, accenting them with fresh lemon, fresh herbs, and roasted red pepper. The result was delicious, and incredibly easy to throw together. Even better, this salad is great as a make ahead, and will stay in a sealed container for a few days after you make it- who doesn't love leftovers?

more than your average salad

Chickpea and Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Fresh Herbs

2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed with water
3 large roasted red peppers (you can roast them yourself and remove the skin, or you can buy them jarred and drain them)
1 medium lemon
2 sprigs of fresh mint
1 sprig of fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the peppers into strips, and then cut the strips into thirds, so that the peppers are in bite-sized pieces
Combine the chickpeas and peppers in a medium bowl
Half the lemon and squeeze the juice of the whole lemon into the bowl
Finely chop the mint and oregano, adding them to the bowl as well and mix to combine
Season with salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: cover and allow to marinate in your refrigerator for 30 or more minutes before serving
enjoy!!