It's August! Let's have a salad!

This guy is super simple, delicious, and fast. It's the perfect thing to eat when you can't stand the thought of turning on any appliance in your kitchen. (Okay, refrigerator excepted.)

The key to making a bean or legume-heavy salad appetizing is to add lots of vivid vegetable and herb flavors. Carrot is a perfect contrast to chickpeas: bright, sweet, and crunchy.

I used parsley for my main herb component, and boosted it even more with a super-herby dressing. Chopping a bunch of mixed green herbs and adding them to either the salad itself or a standard vinaigrette would work really well too. Or you can choose to go for a different herb entirely. Dill and carrot are excellent friends; basil would work well too.

The best part? You can make this salad the night before, and the flavors will be even better the next day. Instant lunch for the win!

Chickpea carrot parsley salad

1 can/2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 carrots
1-2 cloves garlic or half a shallot
handful of parsley
lemon juice to taste
salt, pepper
herb vinaigrette or other vinaigrette of your choice

Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Shred your carrots with a box grater. Mince your garlic or shallot and finely chop your parsley leaves.

Add all your ingredients to a large bowl, season with a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper, and dress with vinaigrette. Toss everything together and taste for seasoning.

If possible, let your salad rest in the refrigerator for several hours before eating.

This salad can go into a split pita with some chopped lettuce for a quick lunch. If you're not a sandwich person, you can transform it into a full meal salad by adding a big scoop to a plate of greens and your choice of chopped veg. It's a simple side for your choice of grilled or barbecued main dishes--juicy lamb would be an especially great combination with chickpea and carrot--and it will travel well to a potluck across town. Perfect!

Which salads are helping you avoid the oven this August?