A quick and easy make-ahead lunch that provides an awesome mix of protein, fibre, and healthy fats. Plus, it’s vegetarian!
This has quickly become my and my girlfriend’s favorite lunch. We were both craving tuna salad and didn’t have any in the house so, to conform with our current circumstances, we decided to improvise.
The texture of mashed chickpeas works perfectly with the flavoring components of the tuna salad fixings (mayo, celery, parsley, green onion) and we decided to kick it up a notch with the curry powder and cayenne.
The result is a quick and easy sandwich mix that keeps for at least a week, perfect to make on weekends to bring for lunch or to a picnic.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you will need to do a bit of planning ahead and soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight and then boil then for an hour the next day. Alternatively, you can simply use canned chickpeas.
My favorite way to serve this is on a bun with some diced apples or grapes, and a side of chips.
Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas OR 2 cups canned chickpeas
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp high quality grainy mustard
- 2 tbsp celery, diced
- 2 tbsp parsley, diced
- 2 tbsp curry powder, optional
- 1 tsp cayenne powder, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you are using canned chickpeas, skip to Step 2. Wash chickpeas and add them to a pressure cooker (we use an Instant Pot). Cook for 1 hour at high pressure and let depressurize naturally. Allow it to cool slightly before draining.
- Drain the chickpeas then add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and use a potato masher (or fork) to mash up the chickpeas to desired consistency. I recommend doing a half mash so that you still have good chunks of chickpea in the salad, this helps diversify the texture.
- You're ready to serve! You can either eat this salad on its own or add your favorite toppings (like grapes or apples). I like to eat it as an open-faced sandwich on a thick slice of sourdough bread.