Mediterranean Salad for One

Dinner tonight is this incredible Mediterranean Salad for one, packed with all the garden's produce (including dried oregano from last year, Egyptian onions and garlic scapes from N) and dressed simply with Alaea salt, black pepper and fresh lemon juice. Light yet filling for those Summer nights!

As much as I love living in Canada, one of the things I don't love is that our growing season starts late and ends early. Summer break being what it is (July / August), we don't really see much of the garden bringing forth their glory until at least halfway through, if not later. That said, late is better than never, and since the cukes and tomatoes arrived at the same time this year I figured what better way to enjoy them than in a simple, chunky salad?

I love Mediterranean flavours, and this salad is not lacking in them! In addition to the garden cucumbers and tomatoes, I tossed in dried oregano and dill (from last year), Egyptian onion bulbs (from the Sputnik-like plant out back) and garlic scapes from my fiance's garden that I roasted using this recipe (cutting the time to 15 minutes). For protein, I tossed in a handful of chickpeas (my favourite bean) and sprinkled on lemon juice, coarse pepper and a Hawaiian Alaea salt. If you had told me 15 years ago that I would be eating salads for dinner (and enjoying them!) I'd have called you crazy. But now, I don't want summer to ever end!

Mediterranean Salad for One
1/2 large English cucumber, diced
1 large plum tomato, diced
4 Egyptian onion bulbs (or 1/4 red onion), minced
1 garlic scape, roasted and chopped (or 1 clove roasted, minced garlic)
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp dill
salt and pepper (use a flavourful or fun salt like Alaea if you have it!)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed if canned

1. Toss together the cucumber, tomato, onion, garlic scape, oregano, dill, salt, pepper and lemon juice. 
2. Fold in the chickpeas and serve.