Move over PB & J, I am over you. My new go-to sandwich is made with the humble and healthy can of garbanzo beans; to me, chickpeas. This vegan mashed chickpea sandwich is packed with texture, flavour and 39 grams of protein per cup, an excellent source of fibre, potassium, vitamin C and B-6. They fill you up and support your immune system. What’s not to love?
When in the grocery store look for organic chickpeas. The ingredient list will be this: garbanzo beans, water and sea salt, nothing else. Some of the non-organic brands have extra ingredients, like Disodium EDTA. I had to look that up. Disodium EDTA is the most commonly used food preservatives worldwide. It stands for Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, I will take a pass since I cannot even pronounce it. What is that? It is a chemical added to preserve colour, flavour and texture in canned foods. Listen up, we have so many choices of brands to buy, find the brand that has clean ingredients, read labels and most likely if you can’t pronounce the ingredient or have no idea what it is, move on.
Vegan Curried Smashed Chickpea Salad or Sandwich
This recipe makes 3 - 4 servings.
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegan mayo or any mayo you like
1 teaspoon curry powder, or more to taste
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of turmeric
1/4 tsp salt or more to taste
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 scallions, minced
juice of 1 lime
¼ cup cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained well, (540 ml or 19 oz can)
Directions
1. In a medium sized bowl combine the mayo with the curry powder, garlic, turmeric and salt, mix well.
2. Add in the chopped celery, scallions and lime juice, mix again.
3. Then add about half the chickpeas and mash them well with the back of a fork or I like to use a potato masher. You could also use a food processor but make sure not to over process.
4. Fold in the rest of the chickpeas, cilantro or parsley.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. For best result, let mixture chill in fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Cooks Notes
Make sure to drain, rinse and dry the chickpeas well.
Be careful not to over process the chickpeas in the food processor. I like to leave it a bit chunky.
I like to make this in advance as I find the flavours really develop after a few hours int he fridge.
If you are not use to using curry powder I would start with 1/2 tsp and adjust to taste.
Feel free to add in other veggies, like diced peppers and carrots, or fruit like a chopped apple.
This keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.