No money for groceries, sigh. Just paid the "tax man". What to do for dinner? Wait! There's leftover cabbage from the fish tacos I made last week.

And - hey, hey - I spy a can of chick peas in the pantry.

I always have a great bottle of olive oil and wedge of Parmesan floating around - (I'd put up with holes in my shoes before suffering cannister "Parmesan" and flavorless olive oil - we've all got our priorities!).

I found a variation of this recipe on a Canadian food blog (Everybody Likes Sandwiches) several months ago. The blogs recipe, in turn, was adapted from Molly Wizenberg's, "A Homemade Life." This salad is delicious! Who says you can't eat well on a budget?

Yield: 6 cups
Time: 15 minutes
Cost: Approx. $5.50

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 small head of purple or green cabbage, cut into thin slices (4 cups)
1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, drained
1/2-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped basil,optional

Directions

1. In a large bowl, make the dressing by whisking together olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Toss cabbage, chick peas, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and basil into dressing and mix together.
2. Season to taste with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and additional Parmesan, if desired.