chickpea broccoli and fig salad

It’s hot outside. Like, really hot outside.

It’s so hot outside that I’m kind of regretting wishing for this day to come.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the heat. However, I don’t love one thing about the heat. That would be.. the heat.

I make no sense — I know this.

You see, I like the heat when I want to be outside, laying in the sun, and soaking up some rays. But when I come inside my house, I don’t want to be hot. I would rather be snuggling under a blanket drinking hot tea than being sprawled out on my couch with my hair on the top of my head and wearing clothes that one is not allowed to go out in public in to avoid the heat.

It wouldn’t be so bad — except, I’ve told you before — the Husband is Dutch. While we really do live by the “happy wife, happy life” mentality around the CEC household, I know it kills him to turn the air conditioning on any time before July. It’s this Dutch thing — I don’t get it. I would be begging, pleading, and whining to get my way (which isn’t hard to do)right now, but it’s supposed to be 59 degrees tomorrow. Boo, I hate the cold.

I know, I’m confusing.

There’s nothing worse than a hot house.. except for a hot house with the oven on. When I was younger, the “not so clean eating brother and sister” and I were absolutely under no circumstances allowed to use the oven when it was hot outside. We could have gotten away with it, but you see — not so clean eating Daddy was a teacher… which means he was home in the summer. Which means we got away with nothing. Nadda. Zilch. Zip. Except for that one time we went onto the roof when no one was home. Pretend like you didn’t read that, Mom. Instead, focus on the fact that Dad now uses the oven when it’s hot outside. Sheesh — what is he thinking!?

So this is why I don’t use my oven in the summer unless there is an absolute baking emergency — meaning, I’ve run out of granola. Things can get a little hairy around here when there’s no granola around.

Because I don’t use the oven, I have to resort to other methods of cooking — the grill. I’m a grill master, in case you weren’t aware. But sometimes, I’m too hot to eat any hot food, grilled or not. That is when I start relying on cold salads, any kind will do. Tomato, traditional chopped, pasta salads — and now, this chickpea broccoli and fig salad. Perfectly sweet, with a little bit of tang. It’s a good thing I know how to practice self control or else this entire recipe would be gone by now.

Chickpea Broccoli and Fig Salad (serves 2 main dishes or 4 side dishes)

1 crown broccoli, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped figs (about 7-8 small figs)
1/4 cup onion, diced
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. whole grain Dijon mustard
1 tsp. granulated garlic
salt and pepper to taste
gluten free barbeque sauce, for drizzle

Directions: Begin by chopping the broccoli in bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl filled with 1 inch of water. Steam the broccoli in the microwave for one minute and drain. Next, drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the broccoli. Add the chopped figs and onion and toss lightly. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and spies. Pour over the chickpea mixture and toss to coat. Place the salad in the fridge for 1-2 hours to let the dressing develop flavor. When the salad is ready to serve, drizzle the salad with your favorite barbecue salad (mine is Bone Suckin’ Sauce!). Enjoy!

This let me forget for a while that my house was hot. Mainly because I ate it in my air conditioned classroom while I was shivering and wishing for a hot meal. Why, oh why does life have to be so difficult? I know what you’re thinking — if this is the most of my worries, I’ve got it pretty good.

Thankfully, there’s leftovers.

Unthankfully, my house is still hot.

I’ve come to a conclusion, a way that I can describe how I feel. I love the heat, but I hate being hot.

Really? I’m so weird.

Question: What’s your favorite food to eat when you’re hot?

Tagged as: broccoli salad, chickpea broccoli and fig salad, cold salad, food, recipe, salad, special diet, summer salad