Tuna and Chickpea Salad With Pesto & Pita Chips

With summer coming, I'm on the hunt for no-cook recipes. My oven has the power to make my apartment a hot box, so I really try to avoid using it by all costs.

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago, and not only was it no-cook, it was very easy to put all of the elements together. I did make a few changes to the recipe, such as I hate black olives so I added green olives in their place. (Capers would also be a great substitution) Adding onions and carrots will be something I will try next time. I did omit salt because I think the green olives are salty enough. The chickpea salad serves 6 people and has 373 calories per serving

2 15.5-ounce cans (3 cups) chickpeas, roughly chopped
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and thinly sliced
24 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, thickly sliced
3 6-ounce cans tuna, drained
5 tablespoons store-bought pesto
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 sprigs fresh basil (optional)

Directions
1 In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, red peppers, olives, celery, tuna, pesto, salt, and black pepper.
2 Divide among individual plates. Garnish with the basil (if using).


An easy side with this dish is to make your own pita chips. (I'm aware this goes against my anti-oven summer.) :)
1. Set oven to 400 degrees
2. Spray wheat pita bread with cooking spray
3. Season pitas with your favorite spices. With this recipe, I used garlic salt, pepper and basil
4. Divide pitas into triangles
5. Cook pitas till brown and crispy, about 10 minutes.