Spicy Chickpea Salad

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This is a middle eastern twist on a Rachael Ray recipe. Someone out there just rolled his/her eyes at the mention of her name, but I've been quite happy with the few Rachael Ray recipes that I've tried. I like the original recipe and made it a couple of times. The main complaint that we both had was the addition of raw onions. After 5 minutes into dinner and for the rest of the night, all we'd taste would be raw onions. I like the recipe enough that I thought I'd tweak it and give it even more flavor.

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• a small bunch parsley, coarsely chopped
  
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Just toss everything together. Make sure everything is well coated and the spices are evenly distributed so you don't end up with a mouthful of cayenne pepper. Let salad sit at room temperature for 30 minutes for even more flavor.

This salad has rich bold flavors but is refreshing and light. I love the combination of crunchy celery, sweet bell peppers and creamy chickpeas. The best part? No raw onions! Yay for fresh breath.