Sardine and Chickpea Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Canned sardines are an underrated pantry staple — quick, affordable, and packed with flavor once you toss them with crisp vegetables and a good dressing. Here they're paired with chickpeas, cucumber, and tomato, all brought together with a creamy lemon-tahini dressing.

Sardines, especially eaten with their soft bones, are one of the better food sources of calcium, a mineral frequently mentioned around menopause and bone health, and chickpeas add their own place among phytoestrogen-rich legumes. Tahini contributes further calcium along with healthy fats, rounding out a salad that's more filling than it looks.

This keeps well for a next-day lunch — just store the dressing separately and toss just before eating so the vegetables stay crisp.