Dinner doesn’t get easier than this chickpea feta salad with sun-dried tomatoes and avocado. No cooking required, packed full of protein and veggies. Vegetarian and Gluten Free recipe. Can be made vegan by using vegan cheese.

I get to work between 7:30-8 every morning. Though I’m not exactly a morning person I actually prefer this to coming in around 9:15 when the majority of my co-workers start to trickle in. Let’s dissect my thinking behind this.

First off I take the metro to work, and if you do too you know how miserable a train ride is at 8:30 am. With people pushing and shoving, backpacks and briefcases jabbing you in the back, and strollers filled with crying babies, it’s not a pleasant ride. I don’t even feel that strongly about personal space, but I’m pretty sure no one enjoys the skins of several strangers rubbing up against them before their morning cup of coffee.

At 7:15 the metro is a pleasure to ride in. With enough room to do cartwheels down the aisles I have lots of choices – sit by the windows, sit by an aisle, stand against the wall, do a little of both, and most importantly there’s enough room for me to take out my book and read peacefully.

And since I get in to work early, I get to leave early. It’s only an hour difference but let’s face it 4pm is still the afternoon and 5pm just plain isn’t. With longer summer daylight hours this isn’t as noticeable, but trust me in the winter, it’s refreshing to leave work while it’s still light out.

It might not work for everyone but if I’ve got to get up earlier than I want to to sit in an office for 8.5 hours I’d rather get it over with and be out sooner rather than later.

Where am I going with this? Well, with more daylight hours, I’ve got more time to whip up a recipe and photograph it without have to plead with the sun to stay up for a just a little longer so that I can get my perfect shot.

The other day when I got home at 4:30ish and starving, within 15 minutes I had this chickpea feta salad ready to photograph (and then eat)!

Similar in flavors to my salmon orzo dish (which was my first ever blog post), this chickpea feta salad is great because it’s easy to throw together, and is a filling afternoon snack (or lunch) to hold you over until dinner. Bold flavors of feta and sun-dried tomatoes blend perfectly with smooth avocados and chickpeas. A successful marriage of flavors? I think so.

Helpful Kitchen Tools for this Recipe:

• Global G-2 – 8 inch, 20cm Chef’s Knife – The Global knives are hands down amazing and the best knives I’ve come across. Not necessarily crucial in this recipe, but if you’re shopping for a good sharp knife, you won’t go wrong with these. (this is an affiliate link from which I would earn a small commission from your purchase)

Let me know what you think of this chickpea feta salad in the comments below! It’s one of my favorites!