Delicious Chick Pea Salad

I am over the Moon about this recipe.  It tastes a bit like a Tuna Salad Sandwich but it's meat and dairy free.  Also there is no mayonaise so it's a nice low fat alternative.  My only regret is that I did not make a double recipe.

 What's in this salad you ask...?

 

 

 

Sunflower seeds, dill pickle relish, garbonzo beans (chickpeas), celery, red onion, lemon juice, fresh garlic, and just a little salt and pepper.

You just mash the heck out of it with your potato masher and you are done!

I made homemade whole white pita bread today and this made a very tasty lunch for me.  My husband and son would not touch this sandwich or salad with a 10 foot pole.  Their loss; my gain.  I LOVE this salad.  My friend, Harriet, makes a similar recipe and she says it's also good on romaine lettuce and crackers.  Some recipes like this call for kelp granules which reportedly makes this taste a bit like Tuna Salad.  I love the salad as is and I am not sure where I'd find kelp granules anyhow.

I found this recipe on a blog called Oh She Glows which features great looking healthy vegan recipes.
The recipe link is HERE.  I did not change the recipe much; my slight changes are noted below.

Delicious Chickpea Salad from www.ohsheglows.com

Ingredients (3 servings)

• 1 15-oz can chickpeas
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 tbsp chopped red onion
• 3 tbsp chopped dill pickle (I used just 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish) 
• 1 tbsp minced fresh dill (I omitted)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp regular mustard (I used 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds (or pecans/walnuts), chopped (I used sunflower seeds... AWESOME!)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Kelp granules (I omitted)

Instructions

• 1. Preheat oven to 325F and toast the sunflower seeds for about 11 minutes ( I toasted my sunflower seeds in a dry skillet on the stove top until they turned slightly brown and fragrant).
• 2. Mix everything into a bowl, mashing up the chickpeas slightly with a fork, and season with salt  and pepper, to taste. Stuff into a wrap or pita, or enjoy with crackers or rice cakes.