The Perfect Vegan Lunch Idea
Remember when lunch time was the coolest hour of the day? It still can be! Get ready to indulge in the best sammie you’ve ever put in your mouth. Period. I created this chickea mash sammie out of desperation for vegan driven lunches on the go that didn’t SUCK! It exceeded expectations!
In pre-vegan life, I thought egg salad Sammies were pretty cool. I wanted to mimic the experience (though hopefully omitting the off-putting odor in the process.)
Let’s face it, being vegan can feel daunting when we have to take a meal on the go. Without access to kitchen access and heat, a vegan meal seems to become ever complicated!
I created this mix that could be easily whipped up in minutes and stored for several days for easy access! You’re welcome!
Are Chickpeas Good for You?
Chickpeas are otherwise known as garbanzo beans.
They are a little bean packed with a powerful nutrient profile! When you eat a little chickpea you can expect:
- Phosphorus
- Protein
- Fiber
- Manganese
- Iron
The protein in chickpeas comes with a low caloric profile. Protein from chickpeas can help with satiety and keeping waistlines trim.
Chickpeas are low in calories and high in fiber. This can aid in digestion as well as reducing total caloric intake for the day.
The phosphorus in chickpeas will help with bone mineral density and heart health.
Chickpeas are also dirt cheap, even if you purchase them readily made in a can! That’s an extra incentive to go for any meal.
Tricks For Using Avocado
I have a love hate relationship with avocado’s. I feel as though they have a peak performance period of only about 2.5 hours in their lifespan!
One thing I will be eternally grateful for in this sammie is that at least we don’t have to wait for a chickpea to reach a perfect level ripeness! Imagine how hard it would be to manage that. I’d imagine we’d spend weeks trying to create a balance and achieve a perfect sammie!
Here are a few tricks to make avocados more obedient:
- Check it! remove the stem and look for a green or yellow color. This means its ready to eat.
- Cut an avocado width-wise to remove pit easier. (put the avocado pit back and remaining peel to preserve in the fridge!)
- Give it some lemon to preserve!
- Ripen in the microwave! Prick the skin and microwave for 30 seconds. Test firmness. Repeat until reach desired level of ripeness.
- Store above onions in container to preserve freshness
Aquafaba Foam Uses
Aquafaba is the liquid that comes from a can of chickpeas. It’s a starchy like substance that any face free foodie will capitalize on to create some really wild food concoctions!
Use aquafaba in:
- Muffins to make light and fluffy
- Create meringues
- Vegan mayo
- Mousse
- Brownies
- Vegan butter
- Vegan marshmallow
- Cakes
- Breads
To be vegan means being an artist. So challenge yourself to make food go further and your chickpea water from going down the drain!
How Long Can I store Chickpea Mash in the Fridge?
Once this blend is created, store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Chickpea mash is a great prep-ahead meal or side. It’s quick to prepare and can be used can be used in multiple entrees over a few days.
While this vegan chickpea salad mash should be stored in the fridge, it can easily be taken for lunches as well in a cold pack.
What Can I substitute for Mayo in Chickpea Salad Mash?
If you’re trying to create a flavor in this sammie similar to that in a egg salad or chicken salad sandwich we’re going to need some vegan friendly mayo.
We can actually get really creative here. You could simply choose to add a vegan mayo to our chickpeas or we could take it a step further as I do and use nooch sauce.
I enjoy nooch sauce in this recipe personally as it combines the creamy goodness a mayo-like condiment with the zesty flavor of nutritional yeast.
It’s almost like adding a little cheese flavor to our chickpea sammie.
I have also added mashed avocado to this sammie which also fills it with creamy goodness.
5-Ways To Use Chickpea Mash
This is a versatile dish that can be used when combined with other entree’s or as a stand alone item.
Add chickpea mash
- To pasta
- In a wrap
- As a salad topping
- To pizza
- As a sammie
- On top of roasted veggies
- As a toast topping
- To a cracker/rice cake
- As part of vegan caprese
- To rice or quinoa
Use this as an excellent easy and flavorful protein additive.
I love this dish as a great take along for vegan school lunches as well. It’s always difficult to find a vegan treat kids will eat but this definitely makes the cut!
Collect all your vegan ingredients in one shopping trip to utilize with this by using this vegan shopping list.
Variations of Chickpea Salad Mash
There are sooo many ways to get a little more crazy and equally delicious with this dish.
For starters I sometimes combine this vegan mash with jalapeños or other hot peppers for a kick!
You might try adding pickles if you want to get closer to a true vegan salad mash.
I typically add garlic to everything, so on occasion I will also add it to this sammie.
If you’re feeling lazy but want some heat, try adding sriracha or buffalo sauce to the mix!
Try adding chives, basil or other herbs to really give this sammie a flavor kick.
What Are Your Favorite Vegan Sammies?
I believe too much heroism goes to ham on sammie. Too much time wasted on not going vegan because of the stress that goes into determining the lunch pack.
This vegan chickpea salad sammie is anything but boring! It’s the adventure you’ve been waiting for to break up your day.
Do you have any other vegan sammie ideas that are to die for? Any combinations of this recipe that make lunch and snacks even more exciting?
Drop them in the comments below! I’d love to spice up the creativity even further.
Chickpea Mash
Ingredients
- 1 can garbanzo beans drained
- ½ avocado large
- 1 whole tomato sliced
- 4 bread slices any type
- t tbsp dil fresh or dried
Nooch Sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice fresh squeezed
- 1 cup cashews soaked 1 hour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Drain and rinse chickpeas. Save chickpea water to make tasty treats at a later time if desired!
- blend all nooch sauce ingredients for 3 minutes
- Add nooch sauce to chickpeas and avocado in medium sized bowl. Mash using potato masher or in this case I actually used a muddler! Continue to mash until desired consistency is achieved.
- spread chickpea mix on desired bread choice. Add tomato. Add fresh or dried dill.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
- Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi - April 10, 2021
- PB & Fruit Pita Pocket - March 14, 2021
- Vegan Fried Chicken - December 30, 2020
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