Other than being that sacred ingredient in our beloved hummus, chickpeas are so beautifully versatile and delicious. I sometimes find myself eating them straight out of the can with a nice dose of hot sauce. They offer good-quality plant protein, fiber, and healthy carbs.
My other go-to way of eating these little chickpeas involve this salad recipe. It’s a really satisfying mid-day meal and can be piled on some lettuce, as a sandwich or in a wrap. Heck, you can even eat it as it is if you’re feeling it. I’ve been making it for years, even before I started my plant-based diet. I thought it was time to actually get my recipe sorted out and share it with the world.
Vegan Chickpea Salad (V + GF)
Yield: around 4 cups
Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
½ apple, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
2 pickle spears, finely chopped
5 T vegan mayo
½ lemon, juiced
1 T agave nectar
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T nutritional yeast
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. sea salt
Directions:
In a medium bowl, use a potato masher or fork and roughly mash the chickpeas. This salad is best with a few whole beans, so don’t feel like you have to mash every chickpea.
Add your diced apple, celery and the finely chopped pickle spears.
In another bowl, make your dressing by adding all of the remaining ingredients and mixing until smooth.
Add your dressing to the chickpeas and mix well.
Note:
- I also make this recipe using dried cranberries. If you want to substitute for the apple, add 1/3 cup of chopped, dried cranberries to the recipe.
- The celery and apple should be diced to about the same size as the chickpeas.
- The flavors really come out if you let this sit in the fridge overnight before eating!
Store in covered container in fridge for up to 5 days.