Chickpea, Tomato, and Mixed Herb Salad

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: A salad as relaxed as the perfect summer afternoon. 

Grain salads are the perfect dish for a relaxed summer afternoon: You don’t have to heat up your house to make them, and their flavor intensifies as they sit. I love to take them on picnics, mostly because all I want to eat when the temperatures rise are herbs, cucumbers, and tomatoes. This salad combines these flavors, plus the breezy attitude of dining al fresco, in a healthful and simple meal.

Chickpea, Tomato, and Mixed Herb Salad

Serves 4

1/2 cup medium grind bulgur
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 bunch chives
1 small bunch mint
1 medium bunch parsley
One (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 tomatoes, preferably heirloom, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced (1 cup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that was published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photo by Caroline Wright