I’m still the world’s laziest lunch maker. Ever.
I’m lucky if I make it to the table to sit down like a civilized human being most days. When I’m busting my butt in the kitchen for hours each day, the last thing I want to do is chop more vegetables or do a lot of prep for lunch. So, I tend to fall back on frozen veggie burgers (I love Amy’s California burgers), hummus, salsa, and wraps because they are effortless and ready in 5 minutes. And thank goodness there is no chopping required!
I recently discovered the obvious: prep something the night before and I’ll have more variety in my lunch. I’ve talked about this little problem before (see part 1 and part 2) so as you can see old habits die hard! My problem is that I rarely think about lunch at night time, but perhaps this chickpea salad may finally change that…
I spotted a vegan “Not Tuna Salad” on the Whole Foods website and used it as my inspiration for this amazing chickpea salad wrap. While I don’t think what I came up with tastes anything like tuna salad (let’s be real, it’s chickpeas), I think it tastes even better! And this is coming from a former tuna salad addict who used to eat canned tuna for lunch all the time in university. Yes, I was that girl stacking towers of 59 cent tuna into her shopping cart like a crazy person.
So whether you never liked tuna or maybe you love tuna, add this to your lunch rotation! Pop it into a container, add a wrap and fruit, and you have yourself a well-rounded lunch…no veggie burger required.
Amy, I’ll see you on Wednesday.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Chickpea Salad Wrap
Yield
3 servings
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Eric asked me if it really tastes like tuna. “Umm…no…” I said after careful thought, “but it actually tastes better!” Who needs tuna when it tastes this good? It’s fresh, crunchy, filling, and has a great pop of dill. If you’ve had a jar of dill pickles sitting in your fridge for years, now is the time to use them.
Ingredients
- 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 tbsp chopped red onion
- 3 tbsp chopped dill pickle (~1 pickle)
- 1 tbsp minced fresh dill
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp regular mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds (or pecans/walnuts)
- salt/herbamare and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325F and toast the sunflower seeds for about 11 minutes.
- Mix everything into a bowl, mashing up the chickpeas slightly with a fork, and season with salt (I used Herbamare) and pepper, to taste. Stuff into a wrap or pita, or enjoy with crackers or rice cakes.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)Ok, so I didn’t make this “the night before”, but I did make this at 10am on Saturday morning! Bonus points, right?
(Note: I didn’t end up using the paprika as shown in the photo)…and yes, that’s a dill pickle leaning up against the mustard. The jar of pickles has been in our fridge for a year? Amazingly, I’m not dead after ingesting it. Love pickles.
Chop, mix, and serve. Easy.
Veggies burgers certainly have their time and place in my work week, but thankfully now does this wrap! I hope you enjoy it too!
and a link to share for you today…
In case you haven’t seen it already, check out this thought-provoking NYT’s article by Mark Bittman – “We’re eating less meat. Why?” which talks about the 12% drop in US meat consumption in the last 5 years.
“We still eat way more meat than is good for us or the environment, not to mention the animals. But a 12 percent reduction in just five years is significant, and if that decline were to continue for the next five years — well, that’s something few would have imagined five years ago. It’s something only the industry could get upset about. The rest of us should celebrate. Rice and beans, anyone?” ~Bittman
I can’t WAIT to try this! My husband and I recently (as of this past week) switched to a vegan lifestyle and I will say that I already have more energy and feel all around healthier after just 2 days! I have already made your apple pie oatmeal and oil free zucchini bread…this recipe is next! Thanks for all the great recipes!
I love chickpeas, so I know this would taste awesome! And a 12% decline in meat consumption is great! Little steps…
God I’m the opposite, I think too much about lunch sometimes to the detriment of dinner as I’m out the door to work at 6.30am so I need to be organised. Put chickpeas with anything in my book and it’s a winner and that salad sounds so good! (they are possibly my favourite bean/legume..of the moment at least).
Looks like something you could order in a restaurant!! Your pics are gorgeous Ange! I love quick easy lunches like this…wraps are the best!
Thank you Kaila!
I love chickpea tuna, especially if you pulse in the food processor. Also, adding kelp flakes gives it a nice “sea” taste. I recently made it with TVP, and like you, the night before, and it was a smash hit for the next days lunch. Everyone went crazy over it, even non vegans!
That looks wonderful! I love chickpeas and can’t wait to try it!
That looks sooo good. I am totally like you…I can’t be bothered most of the time making a fancy lunch for myself. In fact, those veggie burgers sound like a plan :) Ask me to bake something, and I suddenly “find” my energy though.
yum! I cannot wait to try this! I loved the article! Great read :)
I have to say – I’m glad this doesn’t taste like tuna! :) I love making chickpea salads for lunch. Capers would be great in this too!
The reduction Ineat consumption is interesting, but I bet it’s more due to the economy than health reasons. No matter the reason, it’s a good thing!
Yes the economy is definitely one of the factors. I’m thinking a big study needs to be done! Would be so interesting to learn more about the reasons why ppl are choosing less meat. I’m hoping the decline sticks though.
How long would this keep in the fridge?
Ooh, what a fantastic idea!!! I am happy to prep things for lunch ahead of time, but like you said, I hate chopping and preparing for lunch, and most of all, washing lots of dishes after lunch. When I do that, then I just want a quick easy dinner. So…this looks perfect – nutritious, delicious, and quick.
Thanks for the lunch-time inspiration!
~Emily~
Chickpea salad sandwiches are my go to lunch. I like the addition of mustard- I am going to give that a try next time (which will likely be this afternoon)!
These sound so tasty! Where are these 59 cent cans of tuna you speak of?? I need to know because I cant’ get enough of it these days! :) And very interesting quote from Mark Bittman. I’ve been reading more about him lately since I began my Institute of Integrative Nutrition course (as well as others like Michael Pollan etc) and forgive me for sounding like a total food nerd but I’m loving all of it so far! Have a great Monday Ange!
Hello! this sounds *delicious* and i was an avid tuna eater, too…. i’m also a chickpea lover!
i was wondering: if i prepare this the “evening before” should i already prepare the whole wrap?
Or you bring the salad, the wrap and then assemble it (but what if you eat at your work’s desk, in front of the pc… doesn’t assembling become “dangerous”?)
Thank you for the great recipe(s)
haha yea assembling in front of the desk can be a bit dangerous! I’ve been there. :) Same with cooking next to the laptop and photographing food…but that’s another story.
I wouldnt wrap it the night before because I would guess the wrap would get mushy and soft. I think assembling it at work (but away from the computer?) might be the best option.
Enjoy!
I just had a neat idea. The chick-pea wrap could be “assembled” in a large lettuce leaf the night before and the wrap packed separately (stays dry). Then, at lunch time, place the entire lettuce wrap into your nice dry wrap of choice. Probably far less risky…
Thanks for your wonderful blog!
wow what a great idea!
You know, I really don’t give chickpeas a second thought (unless my Trader Joe’s Chipotle Hummus runs out, then it’s Defcon 5). I think I’ll have to rethink these as a main dish!
Love this out of the box wrap! Yummmm.
I am the exact same way with lunches… the faster and easier, the better! Love how simple this recipe sounds and it looks amazing! Definitely need to try this :)
Your lazy lunches look like gourmet meals to me. I was the other girl in the tuna aisle because tuna salads were my favorite pre-vegan. When I went vegan I then stocked up on those vegan versions of tuna, you know, Tun-o? They have since been discontinued, which is understandable b/c they weren’t that great. Now I make my own rendition that involves chickpeas like yours. It looks great!
That looks delicious! I’m the same way about lunch- I sometimes have big plans for cooking something, but when I actually get hungry I just want something I can grab from the fridge with no prep work. I often resort to frozen dinner leftovers, but this looks much more appealing.
I always always think about what to have for lunch and my husband usually walks in the door to a messy kitchen, but a hot lunch waiting for him. Guess that is how it has to work with my schedule – some nights I don’t get home until 8:30PM and all hopes for making a good dinner are lost.
Love chickpea salad wraps.
Love Mark Bittman and this 12% reduction in meat consumption.
I’m not a vegan but that looks delicious! I may add hardboiled egg whites to mine so it reminds me of the Tuna Salad my mom used to make but great idea on the chick peas :)