Vegan Garbanzo Salad

At long last, another recipe

Those of you who have been reading my Substack for more than a year may remember that I used to share vegan recipes every once in a while. I picked those that I liked and had made a number of times, because they tasted good and were relatively easy to make. For some, I already had photos because I wrote a Wordpress blog in the early years of this century. And then, I had plans to post recipes from other countries – from India, for example. When I lived in Berkeley/CA I had a phase when I really got into Indian meals with lots of separate dishes, prepared with whole and/or freshly ground spices – the trio of turmeric, coriander, and cumin; plus fenugreek, asafoetida, cardamom, and all kinds of peppers. 

And then I got discouraged. There are so many distinguished and masterful cooks on Substack, using elegant, professional photos. First and foremost

Jack McNulty

of VeganWeekly – a professional chef who currently lives in Switzerland but has traveled extensively and is a talented raconteur on top of it. Check out his exquisite recipes!!!

But there is another reason why I stopped posting recipes: now that I’m old I like my meals to be simple, except for special occasions, of course. Simple and quick. It occurred to me that some of you may feel the same, so when I made this simple garbanzo salad (I don’t like to call it “Fake Tuna”, leave the poor fishies alone), I decided to take pictures (yes, unprofessional looking, but helpful, I hope) and write it down.

Ingredients:

1. 1  15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained

2. ½ c celery, chopped

3. ¼ c red or yellow onion, chopped

4. 2 Tablespoon capers

5. 2 T dill pickles, chopped

6. ¼ c vegan mayo

7. ¼ c vegan plain yogurt

8. 1 T nutritional yeast

9. 1 T Dijon mustard

10. 1 teaspoon lemon juice

11. 1 t soy sauce

12. Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Mash the garbanzo beans in a medium bowl. You can use a food processor, but I prefer not to. I like an uneven consistency; with the processor you’ll get a more creamy substance. I use a potato masher and forks, if you don’t have a masher, you can use the bottom of a mason jar. 

Once the beans are mashed, add the celery, onions, pickles, and capers. 

For the dressing, mix the next six ingredients in a separate bowl. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

Add the dressing to the bowl with the mashed beans and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Use two slices of whole wheat bread to make a sandwich: put some salad greens on one, add a good heap of garbanzo salad, top with the other slice, and cut in half. You can toast the bread, if you prefer, or use pita bread.

Variations:

Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to your dressing to make it a bit spicy. Try some fresh herbs: cilantro, basil, dill, or tarragon. Instead of garbanzo beans, you can use mashed-up extra-firm tofu; after you crumble it (with your hands, easy) let it sit with a bit of soy sauce or tamari before adding the dressing.

Enjoy!