Broccoli Salad with Chickpeas and Feta- Little Red Door Cancer Agency Door to Wellness Recipe

Last week I had the honor of teaching a brief cooking class to 12 clients of the Little Red Door Cancer Agency (LRDCA) who participate in the weekly Door to Wellness (DTW) program. The weekly DTW sessions provide free yoga, massage, nutrition and client services to each participating person. This service is more than just giving, I have found. It is about receiving as well.

Everyone had a job

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I agreed to share a few simple, healthy recipes with the class. I enjoy teaching and sharing my life through food so this was an easy YES! Little did I know that I would be the one that learned so much that day. If you have never volunteered at an organization that helps those in need, like Little Red Door Cancer Agency, then I recommend you find one and see how you can lend a hand.

They were very good students! This was a group of experienced cooks!

The focus of the cooking class was to give a recipe that patients, survivors and their caregivers could make that was economical and healthy. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration like ease of finding ingredients or keeping the recipe within a working budget. Also, some patients are on a restricted diet due to medications. Their treatments may have left them with mouth sores, nausea and many foods just plain old don’t taste good anymore. As a caregiver, many are looking for foods they can feed their family members that they too can enjoy. So you see here there is so much to consider that we may not know about.

I gave some tips on swapping plain or Greek yogurt for sour cream and mayonnaise in recipes- AND I was clearly making a funny face ????

I urge you to visit the LRDCA website and learn more about the varied needs of their clients. Their site can describe this in better detail than I can.

Great helpers!

In class we made a salad that can be easily customized to suit your tastes and what you have on hand. We chopped the broccoli tops into small pieces to make it easier to chew and one student commented that you would also use the stalks as to not waste them. Either wrap up and place in the freezer OR lightly cook them until tender, cool them and toss into this salad!

This salad is best when chilled for a few hours but we made it and then enjoyed it together after class. We also had some warm and hearty Hurst Bean’s 15 Bean Soup. Every student was able to go home with 2 bags to eat later thanks to the generosity of the Hurst Family. THANK YOU!!

I would like to thank Fred, Geri, Michelle, Tanya and Tiffany of Little Red Door for inviting me to participate in this wellness day and I would like to thank the clients for being so warm and inviting to me. There were a few happy tears shed that day because- these people. They have been through SO much and they welcomed me into their day with kindness and gratitude. This affected me in ways that reemphasized my desire to do this again. I wish them well on their journey to wellness.

Broccoli Salad with Chickpeas and Feta

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 clove garlic, chopped

freshly ground pepper- to taste

pinch sea salt-to taste

½ pound broccoli crowns, finely chopped (about 3 cups)

1 7-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

Whisk feta, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and pepper in a medium bowl until combined.

Add broccoli, chickpeas and bell pepper; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Putting it all together

We all ate together afterwards