Introduction: Chickpea Salad

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About: Either nobody makes the stuff I want, or I can't find the stuff I want, or the stuff is too expensive. So, I decided to make the stuff I want. I created this profile to kind of keep track of the stuff I make. …

I like egg salad. With the cost of eggs, though, I don't get it a lot. When I saw this recipe, I wondered if I might have a legitimate substitute. So, I thought I would give it a try.

As always, the recipe picture above is a 4x6 JPG. You can download it and print it on 4x6 photo paper to keep in your personal recipe box.

Supplies

For equipment, you will need:

  1. A kitchen scale that weighs in grams or ounces {Target link}
  2. A tablespoon measuring spoon {Amazon affiliate link}
  3. Flat-bottomed mixing bowl (from my mother)
  4. Potato masher (from Dollar Tree when they had good stuff)
  5. Knife and cutting board (the best cheap knives I've ever owned {Amazon affiliate link})
  6. A mixing implement (cheap Kroger wooden spoons)
  7. A refrigerator (came with the apartment)

For ingredients, you will need:

  1. 2 cans (15 oz. each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed (also known as garbanzo beans)
  2. 115g (4 oz/¾ cup) seedless red grapes, halved
  3. 180g (6⅓ oz/¾ cup) mayo*
  4. 22g (¾ oz, 1½ tbsp) Dijon mustard
  5. 50g (1¾ oz, 3 tbsp) lemon juice
  6. 190g (6¾ oz) celery, trimmed and chopped
  7. 28g (1 oz/¼ cup) diced red onion
  8. 30g (1 oz/½ cup) slivered almonds
  9. 15g (½ oz/3 tbsp) chopped fresh Italian parsley (also known as flat-leaf parsley)
  10. 1 tbsp. poultry seasoning
  11. Salt
  12. Black pepper

*If you use vegan mayo, this is a vegan dish.

Step 1: Mise En Place

  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
  2. Cut the grapes in half.
  3. Clean, trim, and chop the celery.
  4. Dice the onion.
  5. Chop the parsley

Step 2: Mash the Peas

Pour the chickpeas into the mixing bowl. Using the potato masher, mash them, leaving a few unmashed for the look.

Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Tare the scale after each ingredient so you can accurately measure the next one.

Step 4: Stir

Stir it all together. Give it a taste. Add salt and/or pepper to your taste. Repeat this step until satisfied.

Step 5: Refrigerate

Store it in the refrigerator until needed. The recipe does not say to cover it. For long-term storage, though, I would put it in a covered container.

Step 6: Voilà!

On the left is the picture from the original recipe. On the right is my creation! Did I nail it? The first thing I want to say is if I piled up THAT MUCH salad in a sandwich then I would never be able to pick the thing up without it spilling all over the place. My filling is more realistic.

Step 7: Was It Worth It?

To me, the final product looks kind of like tuna salad; tastes a little like it as well. It definitely isn't a substitute for my beloved egg salad. However, there are a lot of textures here: The crunchy celery, the stiff almonds, the squishy grapes. It will be interesting to see how I feel after eating this for a week.