Warm courgette and chickpea salad

Chickpeas are a great addition to vegetarian and vegan diets as they are a brilliant source of protein as well as being healthy and filling. I love chickpeas and really enjoy using them in a range of different dishes. They bring a real feeling of sunshine to all dishes and work really well with warm and aromatic flavours.

This salad is great served warm or chilled and is sure to give you a real shot of vegetables. It makes a lovely, colourful lunch and is incredibly filling.

I love toasted chickpeas as I enjoy the crunchy texture they get. I start this recipe with about a dessert spoon olive oil, a clove of minced garlic, a sprig of chopped fresh rosemary and a small amount of rock salt and pepper, I mix this in a large roasting tin and allow this to warm up in the oven on about 200 C. After this has warmed for 5 minutes I add the vegetables. I finely chop 1 large onion and chop 2 medium courgettes into slices and then halve the slices. I then pop all of this into the roasting pan and use a wooden spoon to stir it around allowing the seasoning and oil to lightly coat all the veg. The next step is easy – leave in the oven for about an hour and go and get on with something else, hopefully something fun (not cleaning)

Green beans are another vegetable I think are totally delish and which go really well in warm salads. Green beans have loads of vitamins and as vitamins are best maintained in vegetables which are steamed I use a microwave steamer to cook the green beans in this recipe. It only takes 90 seconds and the beans are perfect. I then mix all the roasted vegetables with the chopped green beans and finish it off with squeezed juice from half a lemon to make a tangy, tasty dressing.

This recipe has loads of depth of flavour and is a joy to prepare and eat. You will never be jealous of dishes with gluten or lactose in again!