Recipe: Garbanzo Bean Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing (Lebanese)

GARBANZO BEAN SALAD
Salata Hoummos Haab (sa-la-ta hum-moose hab)

"This is such a healthy salad, and a great way to enjoy garbanzo beans, tossed with fresh garden vegetables in an aromatic dressing of garlic, lemon and live oil."

FOR THE SALAD:
1 (15 or 16 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained*
1 cup diced tomatoes (1/2 inch); use firm red tomatoes
1 cup peeled and diced cucumber (1/2 inch)
1/2 cup radish (cut in half - tip to tail, sliced in 9-inch half rounds)
1/3 cup diced green bell pepper (1/4 inch)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped green onion, light and dark green parts
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, green leafy parts and tender stems
FOR THE DRESSING:
1 large clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pita croutons (optional, for serving)

Combine the first seven ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The vegetables can be prepared one day in advance.)

In a small bowl, mash the garlic and salt to a pulp using a pestle. Add lemon juice and olive oil and mix well. Refrigerate, covered, until needed.

ONE HOUR BEFORE SERVING:
Toss salad with dressing and refrigerate one hour before serving.

For extra crunch, add one cup pita croutons to the salad right before serving.

*As an alternative to using canned garbanzo beans, you can soak and cook dry beans as directed on the package. Once the beans are cooked, cool them completely before draining and using 1 3/4 cups of them in the salad. The other 1 3/4 cups can be frozen for future use.

Makes 4 servings (about 1 quart)
Adapted from source: Classic Lebanese Cuisine by Kamal Al-Faqih