Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Parmesan

I made this "salad" the other night. Simple and tasty, although it seemed like it could benefit from some added pizzaz...or at least a better quality cheese (I used the packaged queso rallado).

2 c. cooked chickpeas
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
A pinch of salt
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir gently to mix. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately, or chill, covered, until serving.

Note: This salad keeps well in the fridge and is, in my humble opinion, best eaten cold.

Yield: 2 servings

Future add-in ideas:

"I like to crumble some sharp and salty Greek Feta into mine and maybe, if the content of my fridge allows, a handful of flatleaf parsley, and for good measure some cubed cucumber, bell peppers (though never green ones: I loath green peppers) or a celery stick. I might even sneak in a black olive or two. I douse it with olive oil and lemon juice and a pinch of cumin, coriander and chilli if I am feeling sophisticated. "

"I tried this earlier in the summer and LOVED it. This afternoon I grabbed the chickpeas and parmesan, but also threw in some leftover pesto and toasted sunflower seeds (good if you like a little crunch) - YUM! Throw it all on a bed of spinach and life is truly good!"

"I made this for dinner last night. After I mixed it up I was thinking of what to serve with it to bulk it up a bit when I remembered some whole wheat rotelli in my cupboard. While digging for that I found a can of black olives. I mixed in the olives and the pasta, added a bit more cheese, oil and lemon and had a hearty and delicious meal. "