Chickpeas and pepitas - a really simple salad

I had read somewhere that a salad made with chickpeas and pepitas would be pretty good. The pepitas give some much needed crunch. But there is always the question of what else to add. So for this salad, some onion, red pepper, pomegranate, Meyer lemon juice and olive oil were the additions. A little habanero vodka for some extra character and it was a thing of beauty. It was a "We could serve this to people" kind of dish.

Ingredients

1/2 a small onion - diced into pieces about the same size as the pomegranate arils

1 pomegranate  - arils only, left intact

1/2 red pepper - diced into pieces about the size of the arils

1 tsp habanero vodka (or other hot sauce)

Juice of one Meyer lemon

2 small cans chick peas/garbanzo beans drained, rinsed and strained

a small handful of parsley leaves roughly chopped

1/2 cup pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds)

High quality Olive oil to taste (maybe about 1/4 cup)

A few grinds of black pepper

Salt to taste

Large crystal sea salt for added crunch

A few lettuce leaves torn into large pieces.

Method

Combine onion, arils, red pepper, habanero vodka, lemon juice, chick peas, parsley in a bowl. Mix well. Add the pepitas, mix well. Add the olive oil - the chick peas should look glossy. Adjust the seasoning. 

Serve on some lettuce leaves. Add a few large sea salt crystals to taste