chickpea tacos

tacos are my second favorite food (the list goes like this: pizza, tacos, potato chips, in case you were wondering). i think chickpeas are good too, although surprisingly i am not a huge hummus person. perhaps i just haven't had any good hummus. *shrug* anyway a few weeks ago i saw this recipe in the march issue of vegetarian times and knew i'd have to make it soon.

this is a very quick and easy recipe. i think it probably took me 15 minutes to prepare. i wash my herbs when i get home from the store so they're always ready, but if you don't do this it will take you a bit longer.

the magazine article suggests using the chickpea-avocado mixture as a sandwich spread as well, but i can't imagine it any other way than inside of a taco shell with your favorite fixings.


chickpea tacos
vegetarian times, march 2008, page 34
serves 4

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
4 tbsp fresh lime juice (i juiced an entire lime and got about that amount)
1 clove garlic, minced
8 corn taco shells
2 cups baby salad greens 1 cup prepared salad greens (medium or hot)
1/2 cup nondairy sour cream

1. place avocado in small bowl, and mash with fork. stir in chickpeas, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.

2. set taco shells in napkin-lined basket. place salad greens, salsa and sour cream in separate bowls, and set out alongside chickpea-avocado mash.

3. to serve, let each person build their own taco by filling each shell with 1/4 cup chickpea-avocado mash, some greens, salsa, and sour cream.


i used baby spinach leaves because i'm still trying to use it up. very tasty. a word of advice: don't overfill the shell with sour cream! it will squish out when you take a bite.

mmmm chickpea sandwich

oops so i haven't updated for a long time. i dunno why. embarrassed about my shitty pictures i guess, haha. well i've updated to my crappy camera, but i admit i'm not very good at taking pictures.

well this is what i had for dinner (/ late lunch?) today.


chickpea salad sandwich with cucumber, lettuce, tomato and mayo along with a handful of jalapeno cheddar kettle chips and half an asian pear. delicious.


i think every veg*n has their own version of this chickpea stuff. it's a super tasty alternative to chicken or tuna salad. it's a very forgiving thing to make -- just throw in any crunchy veggies you have and it will probably be good. use mayo (real or vegan) or salad dressing instead of plain yogurt. i had some left over from something else and wanted to use it up. i just kind of threw mine together, but i think this is approximate (hopefully i'm not forgetting anything here, i made it yesterday):

jeni's chickpea salad

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 rib celery, chopped
1/4 of an onion, minced
1/4 of a cucumber, chopped
plain yogurt
dried dill weed
sea salt, fresh cracked pepper
lemon juice
garlic salt

place chickpeas in a bowl and mash with fork (or pulse in a food processor). add veggies and a few dollops of yogurt and mix until it is a spreadable consistency. season with dill, salt and pepper, garlic salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice. mix well. if time allows, refrigerate to let flavors mix together.

serve on bread or pita with other sandwich fixings or use as a dip for crackers, chips, or veggies.

i'm thinking that pear would be really good in a sandwich somehow. maybe with some cheese in a panini-style sandwich. and i also don't think this is an original thought. i'm pretty sure i saw giada de laurentiis make something like that on her show once. damn.

No-Tuna Casserole

For the past few days I've been craving my mom's tuna casserole. The only hitch? I don't eat fish. Today I came up with this experimental recipe for a vegetarian-friendly tuna casserole on the fly and I think I did alright. Sorry, I don't measure when I very often so just experiment for yourself. It's kind of hard to mess this up.


No-Tuna Casserole

1 can chickpeas, drained with liquid reserved
1 can cream of mushroom soup
a few handfuls of egg noodles, probably ~2 or 3 cups
frozen peas, about 1/2 cup
small handful of green olives, sliced + 1tbsp of olive juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp minced red onion
garlic salt and pepper
potato chips
paprika

Preheat oven to 350*. Cook egg noodles to al dente and drain. While noodles are cooking, mash chickpeas in a bowl with a fork. Stir in soup, frozen peas, onion, and olives. When noodles are done, add them to the soup mixture. Add the olive juice, soy sauce, and chickpea liquid to water it down a bit and mix carefully. (I think I added about 1/3 cup) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread into greased casserole dish or 9x9 baking dish. Crush potato chips on top and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.


I thought this was pretty good, but would be better with some shredded cheddar in the chickpea-soup mixture as well as sprinkled on top before the chip layer. That's how my mom makes hers, but I forgot to buy some at the store. She doesn't add peas but I felt like I should at least have a vegetable in it, hah. Additionally I only had about 5 large olives so I would definitely add more next time. It needs more salt, but then again I love everything way too salty.

This was a really quick dish to make. It probably took me 35 minutes total. You could easily make this ahead to freeze for later. Just leave off the chips and add them when you reheat it in the oven.

Chickpeas as a tuna substitute may sound weird, but it's pretty common especially in mock tuna salad recipes. In a cold recipe it is so delicious! I wasn't sure how it would work in a baked dish, but it was good. Just be sure you get all of the chickpeas when you're mashing because it's a bit strange to bite into a whole one along with noodles and olives. With a little tweaking I think I could have an amazing recipe.