I love tuna salad sandwiches. But I am not a fan of canned tuna these days. I wanted to make a plant based version of it using chickpeas. This summer vegetarian chickpea salad is a great alternative to tuna in texture and in protein. I still use regular mayo in mine, to make this completely vegan you can use a vegan mayo instead. I also hate celery, like with a passion. Not so much cooked celery but the raw stuff is for the birds. So I made this with cucumber instead and I love it! This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and use it throughout the week to make some sandwiches or salads. Hope you enjoy.
Tips For Making Summer Vegetarian Chickpea Salad
Mash Em Up
I find using a blunt end to mash the chickpeas works best. That is why I use a pestle. You could also us a fork, potato masher or even the bottom of a jar.
Chickpeas
I use canned chickpeas for convenience, and because I always have a couple of cans in my pantry. If you use canned make sure and drain the liquid off first. This liquid is gold in the vegan world. It is known as “Aquafaba” which can be used as and egg white alternative. For some ideas on what to use with this, check out one of my favorite blogs. https://minimalistbaker.com/a-guide-to-aquafaba/
Rinse the chickpeas and mash away.
Mix Ins
Like I said earlier I hate celery so I use cucumber. But feel free to use celery if you like it. You could also use pickles instead of capers, green onions instead of red, ex. Use what you have and make what you like.
Same goes with the seasonings. If you don’t have fresh dill use dry. If you don’t have tabasco, try using a pinch of cayenne seasoning instead. Or if you don’t like hot, omit it.
Refrigerate
This salad can be made up to 5 days in advanced! So it’s perfect for a long week at work or a grab and go snack!
Summer Vegetarian Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Can Chickpeas Drained and Rinsed
- ¼. Cup Red onion Finely Chopped
- ¼ Cup Cucumber Finely Chopped
- 1 Tbsp Capers Drained
- 3 Tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Dill Chopped
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- Tabasco TT
- ¼ Tsp Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Open chickpeas, strain liquid and rinse.
- In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas until flaky in texture.
- Stir in diced onions, cucumber, capers and dill.
- Make a sauce mixing mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and tabasco
- Add sauce to chickpeas, mix.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve on toasted bread, lettuce cups or crackers.
- Optional garnish, tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts, cucumbers.