Dice red onion and place it in a pan with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and make sure the flame is low. Stir onions often and let them caramelize - this is a long process (about 25-30 minutes) but adds so much flavor to this simple salad.

Next, dice garlic and toss in with caramelizing onions and stir well. If needed, use a couple splashes of water or vegetable stock to deglaze the pan. After a couple of minutes, spoon the onion and garlic mixture onto a plate and set aside.

Next, slice the zucchini and add the rest of the olive oil to the pan. When the oil is warm, add the zucchini and let the slices sit for about a minute or two. Make sure to check and when they have a char on them, flip them and let them char on the other side as well. Charring the already flavorful zucchini gives it such a delightful taste.

When zucchini is charred, add the caramelized onion and garlic mixture, toss in the corn and chickpeas and stir a minute or so.

Season with salt and pepper (optional).