Mash: Roughly mash the chickpeas. Use a fork and/or a potato masher and mash just about 3/4 of the chickpeas. By mashing, you allow the salad to stick together. You could use a food processor to mash the beans; however, I find that it makes them into mush too quickly and is another dish to wash. The name of the game is to keep it simple. And if you didn’t want to mash them, as described, you could even leave them whole.

Next, add in all the veggies: cucumber, diced tomatoes, pickled red onion, and minced herbs.

Serve on toasted bread for a sandwich, on top of crackers for a quick appetizer, or simply eat with a spoon over a bed of lettuce!