3-Minute Chickpea Salad Featured
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Authors: Fatfree Vegan Blog
For how to make Chickpea Salad Rolls, see the video after the recipe.
A quick search of this blog will prove that I adore chickpea salad. As of today, I’ve posted six of them. I love being able to take a can of chickpeas, mash it up and have a quick sandwich filling or salad topping. And as my days get more and more hectic, my chickpea salads have become quicker and quicker. Don’t get me wrong–when I have the time, I still prefer to fill my chickpea concoctions with lots of fresh veggies (as in my “Sea-sational” Chickpea Salad) or fresh herbs (as in Creamy Chickpea Salad). But when I’m rushed, trying to get a lunch packed for my daughter or looking to add interest to my own lunchtime salad, I’ve learned to simplify chickpea salad down to 4 essential parts: chickpeas (naturally), something creamy, something crunchy or sweet, and some basic seasonings.
Recently, I made another discovery, that the “something creamy” didn’t have to be mayo or silken tofu. I was all out of both, but I did have a container of my Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce on-hand, so I gave it a try in my chickpea salad and was thrilled with the flavor as well as the fact that it’s much lower in calories than even my Tofu-Cashew Mayo. And I was out of Old Bay, my usual seasoning, so I replaced it with the “Slap Ya Mama” Cajun Seasoning my family gave me for Mother’s Day (how well they know me!), and it was just as delicious, though perhaps too spicy for most people. So feel free to play with the amounts and use your own favorite seasoning (salt-free, if you wish), but keep it simple and you’ll be eating this salad in about 3 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (or 1 1/2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce or Tofu-Cashew Mayo
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon creole or cajun seasoning or Old Bay (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Mash chickpeas with a potato masher. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well and serve as sandwich filling, atop salads, or wrapped in rice paper.
Preparation time: 3 minute(s) | Cooking time: 0 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 3
Makes about 3 heaping 1/3-cup servings. Nutrition (per serving, using Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce): 163 calories, 13 calories from fat, 1.5g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 539.5mg sodium, 229.1mg potassium, 31.9g carbohydrates, 5.8g fiber, 3g sugar, 6.5g protein. Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce contains about 12 calories per 2 tablespoons; if using mayo, the calorie and fat count will be higher depending on the product used.
My daughter loves it when I wrap her salad in rice paper, which adds another 3 minutes or so to making this salad, but once you’ve done a few, they come together very easily. Rather than tell you how to wrap them, here’s a very rough video I made of me making them for E’s lunch one morning. Note the vintage 70′s counter tops and my bathrobe sleeve at the end. So classy!
Notes: Soak each sheet of rice paper in warm water until it’s softened but still got some firmness to it. How long will depend on how warm your water is, but I usually give it about 5 seconds. Don’t let it get too soft or it’s hard to work with, but with a little stiffness, it will continue to get softer as you add the fillings. Keep the finished rolls under a damp cloth to keep them moist.
This post contains an Amazon affiliate link to Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning because it’s awesome. But if you buy it through my link, I receive a commission that helps support this site. Thanks for your purchase!
