The weather in Los Angeles is freaking me out. It’s been oscillating between fiery dry days and gloomy humid ones, which basically spells summer colds for me. I’ve been loading up on my turmeric, B12 and green juices to ward off the germs.

In the meantime, I’ve been doing Whole 30 Monday through Friday: no gluten/grain/dairy/alcohol/added sugar. It sounds like death, especially to your basic wine and cheese girl aka me, but I’m feeling so great, it hasn’t been so bad. Until I start thinking about a nice cab-sauv and a balmy summer evening on the porch. Ugh.

Anyway, I went to my mom’s this past weekend for a rest. We’ve both been feeling a bit blah about food, so I created this salad to perk us up. Totally not Whole 30, but completely delicious and worth the splurge. It’s adapted from How Sweet Eats, a food blog I love. Check out the recipe below:

Chimchurri dressing:

• 2/3 bunch cilantro
• 1/3 bunch Italian parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or a 1/4 bunch fresh)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• Salt, pepper, and red chili flakes to taste
• Olive oil

Pulse everything in the food processor and add olive oil until you get a dressing. Boom.

Marinated Chickpeas:

• Can of chickpeas RINSED
• Ratio of 2 to 3 of red wine vinegar and olive oil to coat chickpeas
• One clove garlic, minced
• A few leaves of basil, julienned
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• Salt, pepper, and red chili flakes to taste

My Famous Croutons:

• Half French loaf, heartily cubed
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne
• Paprika
• Olive oil

Throw cubes on baking tray, toss after drizzling with olive oil. Dust with the spices. Bake at 400 for 7-10 mins until crispy.

Salad Base (Obviously whatever you like/have around):

• Red lettuce, chopped
• Avocado, sliced
• Roma tomatoes, sliced
• Mozzarella balls, halved

Assembly:

Put salad stuff in bowl. Throw chickpeas on top. Drizzle dressing. Top with croutons. Serve with a chilled Rose.