Spanish Chopped Salad w/ Tuna + Pimentón Chick Peas

Ingredients:

Salad - butter lettuce, canned tuna, flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chick peas, Spanish pimentón, kosher salt, red pepper flakes

Spanish dressing - membrillo (quince paste), red wine vinegar, anchovy, anchovy oil, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper

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This is such a super flavorful Spanish salad that's protein-packed and incredibly refreshing. Perfect for a quick lunch or a late dinner, I love this recipe, especially the dressing. I was always one to use only lemon juice-based dressings on ALL my salads, making them all taste the same. It got boring, to say the least.  The food processor is your best friend when it comes to dressings, and this one can keep in a jar for about a week. 

The membrillo paste adds sweetness, the red wine vinegar adds tang, and the anchovy adds the salty bite (and not fishy at all, trust me!). Anchovies are the best-kept secret when it comes to salads and my go-to secret ingredient. Plus, it's healthier than just plain salt.

The toasted chick peas add another depth of flavor to this recipe as they're pretty much drenched in Spanish pimentón, or, a smoked Spanish paprika, with olive oil and salt. Toast these up in the oven for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees and your whole kitchen will smell like Spain! Another alternative to pimentón is to use regular paprika with a dash of cayenne - this will definitely do the trick.

Recipe can be found in Ms. Paltrow's latest and greatest It's All Good. (shut up, haters!)