Ever since becoming a vegetarian nearly three months ago, I’ve constantly been asked “So, what do you eat?” And I have yet to come up with a satisfactory answer. I eat food that isn’t meat? Seriously, if someone has a good, complete way to answer that question please advise.

One of my favorite vegetarian staples is chickpeas. They’re packed with nutrients, and are absolutely delicious. I love to make homemade hummus or to just bake them for an easy, grab-and-go snack. This recipe works as the perfect vegetarian substitution for chicken salad. It’s delicious as a wrap or a sandwich, or it can just be eaten by itself with a fork.

Mashed Chickpea Salad

  • Prep Time:20 minutes
  • Cook Time:0 minutes
  • Total Time:20 minutes
  • Servings:4
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 15 oz chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup celery
  • 1/4 cup apple
  • 1/4 cup red onion
  • 1/3 cup carrots
  • 1/2 cup kale
  • 3 tablespoon favorite dressing (I used ranch)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds
  • Step 1

    Chop the celery, apple, red onion and carrots. De-stalk and shred the kale. Combine in a bowl and set aside.

  • Step 2

    Blend to the chickpeas in a food processor so that they are mashed but still have chunks for texture.

  • Step 3

    Transfer the blended chickpeas to the bowl with the celery, apple, red onion, carrots and kale. Add the dressing, lemon juice and sunflower seeds.

  • Step 4

    Stir the mixture and enjoy.