I wasn't always on the avocado train. But now? Woop woop! I'm all aboard. And this is the recipe that turned me. I didn't plan on posting it because I've seen so many other chickpea salad recipes out there. But after months of it being our go-to lunch recipe, I just had to in case some of you hadn't tried it yet. One bite and you'll see chickpeas and avocado were meant to be together. I keep it deliciously simple with 3 ingredients: just chickpeas, avocado, and lemon. (Salt/pepper if you want.) It's healthy, filling, and comes together in 5 minutes. Our perfect lunch! Usually my daughter and I grab a couple spoons and eat it right out of the bowl til it's gone. But you can eat it with crackers, on top of flatbreads, in pitas, or as a sandwich. This also works great as a base recipe to play around with other flavors and add-ins you love. I've made a cilantro-lime version which is great!
PS - come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram 🍓 and share a pic if you make this! I love seeing what you guys cook up.
Ingredients
15 oz. can chickpeas
1 ripe avocado
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt/pepper to taste
Optional toppings/add-ins: sprouts, tomato, spinach, green onion, etc.
Directions
Rinse and drain chickpeas and place in a bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork.
Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop out the avocado and place in bowl.
Mash again to combine with the chickpeas.
Add lemon juice and stir. Salt/pepper to taste if desired.
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More avocado lovin'!
How long does this last? could i mke it the night before and still have it be good for lunch the next day?
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! I bet it would be great the next day for lunch! My husband actually just requested it for his work lunch, so we'll be trying that as well this week :) The avocado may brown a little but we don't mind. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
DeleteUpdate: we successfully made this the night before for the next day's lunch! Though as suspected the avocado browned a little so it wasn't quite as "fresh". Still tasted good though if you don't mind a little discoloration! Another idea is to mash the chickpeas and add the lemon juice the night before, then take an avocado with you to work and use a fork to mash it in when you're ready. I've never tried this but you could cut the avocado in half, then place it back together, and put in an airtight container so you can scoop it out when you're ready. That way you don't have to mess with bringing a sharp knife with you! ;)
DeleteHi Kaitlin! If you keep the pit of the avocado in the mixture, it won't brown! That's a trick I learned making guac. I've also heard people put plastic wrap directly on the guac so it isn't exposed to air, and again, no brown. Hope this helps!
DeleteAwesome ideas Kathy!! Thanks so much for sharing :)
DeleteLike you I was late to the avocado party, but I haven't looked back since finally getting on board. I've never thought to add it chickpeas! Sounds easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteHey Sharon! Ahhh what were we waiting for!? I totally get what all the fuss was about now. Hope you give this a try! It's a wonderful pairing :)
Deletemmm these looks amazing! a great alternative to egg or tuna salad since i dont eat either. YUM!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's definitely a wonderful and easy alternative to those! :)
DeleteThis looks great! I usually have avocados in the house since I mash them up for breakfast to have on toast. Have to try this - pinning now.
ReplyDeleteHi Geraldine! That sounds like a perfect breakfast!! And thanks for the pin, hope you love it! :)
DeleteAvocados are amazing on sandwiches! I frequently use them to replace cheese in recipes I used to eat a lot before I turned vegan. For example, instead of making a traditional grilled cheese, we used avocado instead (http://www.veganosity.com/food/grilled-tomato-avocado-basil-sandwich-kale-chips/). Try it out! It's sooooo good!
ReplyDeleteHi Alex! Agreed!! They are an incredible replacement for cheese. I have yet to try them in a quesadilla - that's next on my list! :) Thanks for the message - LOVE the looks of that sandwich!
Deletelooks good, but I don't eat bread, I think I will put it on whole grain crackers.
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful with crackers! Enjoy!
DeleteI made this today and it was fabulous. I added a garlic clove and some unhulled sesame seeds. Thanks for a great recipe.
ReplyDeleteTrish
Hi Trish! Ohhhh you're speaking to my heart by adding garlic - YUM! And clever idea with the sesame seeds, I love that! Glad you enjoyed it :)
DeleteSoooo funny, I just discovered your post while eating my first avocado-chickpea combination :) This is magic! I also added sweet corn, nectarine and cheese to the party, but this thing kinda makes me want to go vegan for the first time. Normally I'm nuts about anything dairy but now I'm like...what is this cheese...doing there? Interesting.
ReplyDeleteHey Andrea! Ahhh too funny! Totally agree, chickpea + avocado is truly a magical combination. I found cheese was easier to give up than I thought it would be. With amazing things like Daiya, nutritional yeast, cashew cheese sauces, etc. it makes me forget what cheese even was!!! ;) I love your additions of corn and nectarine to this - so creative!
DeleteI just used this as a substitution for meat on my tacos. It was awesome!
ReplyDeleteWhaaaat!!! Awesome idea - I would have never thought to do that. Thanks for sharing! Definitely trying that next time :D
DeleteHow many servings does this make? It looks AMAZING, but a whole can of chickpeas, and a whole avocado seems like a lot for one sandwich.
ReplyDeleteHey Hannah! Yep! This makes roughly 2-3 sandwiches, depending on the size of your bread and how much you use :) Hope you enjoy!
DeleteYummy! I'll be making this real soon!! Thank you for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteYay - awesome! We still make it all the time :D Hope you love it too!
DeleteI make this using white beans, usually canellini beans in place of the chickpeas, and add a little red onion. So so good!
ReplyDeleteHi! Oh that sounds amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing - definitely trying your version next time :)
Deletei made this tonight. It tastes great! I may add garlic next time, almost like a hummus. Tomorrow, I'm mixing the leftovers in my salad.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy! AH! We made it again last night too! I LOVE your thought of adding garlic - that speaks right to my heart ;) So glad you enjoyed it!
DeleteYes, I tried this. Added granulated garlic. And added a lot more lemon juice. Then spread on flat bread crackers, with a spread of sour cream on the top, and then sprinkled w/Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Blend Seasoning Blend w/Grinder (which was the frosting on the cake!)
ReplyDeleteI also liked it much better cold than at room temp.
Boy am I late to this recipe - all rest comments from 2014 and 2015.
Hi Joy, great to hear you enjoyed! Adding more lemon juice and garlic sounds fantastic :D We love it with crackers too! Have a great weekend!
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