Greek Chickpea Salad

This is the perfect summer salad, full of fresh, beautifully colored veggies. When it's too hot to cook, this is a great no-cook summer meal. The salad has the flavors of a classic Greek salad--fresh cucumber and bell pepper, juicy tomatoes, and briny olives, with the addition of protein-rich chickpeas, making it a complete vegetarian meal. It also makes a great side dish to bring to dinners and potlucks.

Unlike most salads, you can make this one ahead of time, and it only gets better as the flavors marry. I like to make a big batch of it and eat for days. (Let that be a warning to you that this makes a lot of salad! Feel free to halve the recipe.)

Greek Chickpea Salad
1 bell pepper, chopped into bite sized strips
3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
salt to taste 
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried oregano
black pepper to taste
2 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
handful of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
handful of marinated artichokes, chopped (optional)
handful of sliced pepperoncini, (optional)
4 oz feta, crumbled

Stir all veggies and salt together. If you have time, let sit in fridge for an hour. Drain excess liquid. Add remaining ingredients except feta. Mix and chill until ready to serve. Sprinkle with feta when serving. Lasts for several days in the fridge.