Chickpea of the Sea

When I saw this recipe I thought it would make a pretty good lunch alternative for our new meatless lunch kick. John did most of the heavy lifting for it, since I was busy making mac n' cheese (it was sort of a random meal), and when he was done I couldn't believe how much this looks and tastes like egg salad.



















My picture is really more focused on the mac n' cheese, so I'd recommend clicking here to see the picture from the source.

This recipe is going to be a great school year lunch, especially when I have the lettuce and tomato slices. The mayo and mustard in the recipe give it that familiar taste, and the chickpeas blend easily with the other flavors. Plus, it's not made with eggs, so even with mayo it's still a lot better for you than the real thing. If you're vegan, the kitchn.com recommends using vegan mayo, since it will accomplish the same thing.
The name implies that it's supposed to be like tuna salad, I suppose, but to me it's a dead ringer for egg salad.







Not a great view, but you can see how similar the color is to egg salad.








Chickpea of the Sea
from thekitchn.com

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped celery (about one rib)
2 tablespoons sliced scallions (about two scallions)
a few turns of the peppermill
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

four slices whole grain bread
a few lettuce leaves, washed and dried well

Directions

Place chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and pulse two or three times to roughly chop. Add remaining ingredients and pulse two or three times more to incorporate.

Lay out the bread and place the lettuce leaves on two slices. Spoon on the Chickpea of the Sea and top with the other slice of bread.

Vegan Alternative: Use vegan mayo or a vinaigrette in place of the mayo.

By-Hand Alternative: Place the drained chickpeas in a bowl and mash slightly with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. You may want to chop the celery and onions a little finer for this version, since they won't be getting an additional chop in the processor.