Chickpea “Tuna” Recipe

When I was young, tuna sandwiches were my absolute favorite. Forget peanut butter and jelly or turkey – tuna was always my go to.  I think it’s even accurate to say they were the only non-vegan food I missed after transitioning to an entirely plant-based diet in high school!

Thankfully there’s a happy ending to the story of my undying love for tuna salad.

A few years ago, I learned a quick and easy way to prepare chickpea salad with all of the flavor of tuna, minus the actual tuna of course. I played around with various versions, and I have to say that this one hits all my checkpoints. You’ll find this chickpea salad to be just the right combination of tangy, hearty, and flavorful – yet strikingly traditional.

This recipe is delicious smeared on thick slices of bread with avocado, butter lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, tomato, and cucumber slices. It is super quick and simple, and even keeps well in the fridge! Perfect for quick sandwich assembly after a day in the sun!

Enjoy!

– Katie Mednick

Serves 5 (1/2 cup per serving), Prep time approximately 20 minutes  

Recipe:

• 2 15oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup diced celery
• ½ cup diced yellow or white onion
• 2 tablespoons relish
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ tablespoons vegan mayonnaise *Just Mayo and Veganaise are easy to find options*
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• Dash salt
• Dash black
• Pepper

Method:

1. In a highspeed blender or food processor, add all ingredients and combine. It is best to mix all of the ingredients before blending with a large spoon so the veggies and condiments are evenly distributed, but this is optional.
2. Use the pulse function on your appliance to mostly blend the ingredients. Chunks of veggies and some whole chickpeas should still be present but avoid over blending, as this would result in tuna flavored hummus.
3. Mix the chickpea mixture with a spoon to ensure everything is evenly mixed, then taste. Adjust the seasonings and condiments if necessary and mix again.

Take a look at other things I have been cooking recently on my Instagram page @coconut_katie