A good summer salad is all about opposing flavours harmoniously blending in your mouth and giving your tummy the much-required coolness in the hot, balmy summers.

Packed with nutrients and everything nice, this cool chopped summer salad is inspired by Middle Eastern ingredients and flavours such as olive, tahini, fresh cucumber, chickpea and mint. 

Let the fresh herbs and cucumber leave you with that craving coolness in your system, not forgetting the oh so satisfying flavour of olive oil! You can gorge on this scrumptious salad as a meal on its own or pair it with some hummus, falafel or pita bread for a mezze-style feast. It won’t long before this salad becomes a part of your regular meal plans.

Chopped Summer Salad

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes

Serves 4 – 6 people

For the salad:

1 large or 2 small cucumbers, diced

300 grams cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 shallots, sliced

1 cup boiled chickpeas

2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half

Handful of mint, dill and basil, chopped 

Salt and ground pepper as per taste

For the dressing:

2 tbsp tahini

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 cup greek yogurt or coconut yogurt for vegan version

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper

Add the diced cucumbers, tomatoes, shallots, boiled chickpeas, sliced olives, and chopped herbs to a large mixing bowl. Ensure that the ingredients are mixed well. Add salt and pepper to this mix and give it a good toss.

For the dressing, take a small bowl, combine the tahini with the hot water and whisk until it’s dissolved, ensuring there are no lumps. Add the greek yoghurt, lemon juice, and olive oil to this mixture.  Check for seasonings, adding more lemon, salt or pepper is absolutely left to your preference. 

Serve the dressing separately and each person can drizzle it over the salad at their own discretion

TIP: Adding the dressing to the entire salad is ok as long as you are going to be eating it all at once. If you’re looking to enjoy the salad for the next day’s lunch or dinner, store the salad and the dressing separate.