Chickpea Salad with Halloumi

This salad can serve as a main dish - or a side and is PACKED IN POLYPHENOLS! Polyphenols are little plant compounds that can slow down biological aging. Each serving of this salad features 15 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

Inspired by Lidey Heuck

Ingredients

Makes six side servings (or 4 main-dish servings)

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Juice from 2 lemons

• 2 small cloves minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano or za’atar)

• Salt and pepper

• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

• 1 colorful bell pepper, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces

• 1 large cucumber diced into ½-inch pieces

• ½ cup pitted Kalamata or green olives

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

• ¼ cup chopped mint

• 2 tablespoons (drained) capers

• 1(8-ounce) block halloumi cheese, patted dry and cut into thick slices (find this in the cheese section)

• 4 cups arugula, washed

Instructions

• In a medium-size bowl, combine olive oil with lemon, garlic and oregano.

• Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, parsley, mint, and capers. Toss well.

• Place the halloumi slices on a small plate and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the halloumi until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut the slices into bite-size cubes.

• Add the halloumi to the salad and toss well. Serve over handful of fresh arugula.