Mashed Chickpea Salad

One of my favorite things about food blogging is that I am pushed outside of my comfort zone to try things I wouldn’t normally make. This is one of those recipes that I would pin on Pinterest and say “Wow that looks really good and really healthy! But I doubt I would like it. It looks too healthy so it can’t be that good…”

And so the recipe would live, untouched, on my Pinterest board for the rest of eternity. Right next to that backyard movie theater I’ll never have, the make up tutorials I will never master, and the wine bottle crafts I’ll never make. Just sitting there. Making me feel like a more productive person than I really am. And every so often I would scroll past it and say “I really should make that one day” and yet I never would. I would just keep making my same safe dishes over, and over, and over!

But now that I have my blog, I am pushing myself to make some of those unique recipes I was too scared to make before. And it is paying off BIG time! Some of my new favorite foods are things I never thought I would like (here’s lookin’ at you salmon and refried beans!)

Before I made this dish, the only time I ate chickpeas was in Sabra hummus. So I wasn’t sure how I would feel about them, but as it turns out I love them!!

If you’re looking for a fresh, new, healthy, low calorie dish that is quick to put together then you’re in luck! And the best part is that you really could add in any extra veggies that you have on hand.

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MASHED CHICKPEA SALAD

101 calories per serving (not counting bread)

2 SP per serving (not counting bread)

So remember up top where I said this dish looks too healthy to be that good? Well looks are not deceiving in this case, it really is delicious! And nutritious! (I’ve been wanting to use that line since my first blog post…)

You can whip a bowl of this salad up in about 10 minutes and snack on it all week. And you can eat it straight out of the fridge so it’s perfect for busy weeks!

All you have to do to prep this salad is dice, dice, and dice. Oh and dice. It’s so easy! I’m no psychic but I do believe this will be a staple for my lunches this summer!

I started by draining and rinsing one 15 oz can of chickpeas (alias: garbanzo beans) and pouring into a food processor. Add in 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, and juice from 1/2 of a lemon. Pulse until blended but still chunky. If you don’t have a food processor (or don’t feel like dirtying it up…#preach) then you can just mash these ingredients together with a potato masher.

Dice 1 medium carrot, 2 celery stalks, 1/4 C red onion, and 1/3 of a Fuji apple into itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, pieces. Place into a large bowl.

Roughly chop the 1/2 C kale and 2 Tbsp cilantro leaves and add to other veggies. Add the chickpea mixture to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix well. 

That’s it!! Wasn’t that easy?! You can dig in immediately if you want, but this dish is best if left to refrigerate for at least a day so all of the flavors can mesh together.

You can serve this salad any way you’d like; I chose to use this lovely loaf of bread from my local bakery. I sliced it into small pieces and made 3-4 crostinis per serving. You could also use regular toast, tortillas, lettuce wraps, or just eat it with a fork! Let me know if you discover any other tasty ways to enjoy this dish! I’m always looking for unique ideas! 🙂

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**Recipe adapted from The Glowing Fridge 

What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? I look forward to reading your opinions! 

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