Open-Faced Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

I realised this week that the last time I shared a savoury recipe was over a month ago. (It was a falafel salad if you were wondering). Since one of my goals this year was to share at least one savoury recipe a month I figured it was about time I got on that. So, without any further ado, I give you these Open-Faced Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwiches. 

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I’ve been eating a lot of the same stuff for lunch and dinner recently (read: breakfast for every meal) so I wasn’t completely sure what savoury recipe I was going to share with you. But then I remembered April’s Recipe ReDux theme:

Limpin’ Along for Lunch

Ever get in a lunch rut? Need new ideas for packing your kids’ or your own lunch? Are packable noontime options dwindling? Surely you’ve met the ‘What shall I pack for lunch?” question head-on with creative ideas. Please share your healthy lunch recipe – so we can swap it into our own rotation.

If you’re not sure what Recipe Redux is, I go into more detail about it at the bottom of the post. But for now, let’s talk about these vegan chickpea salad sandwiches.

I was never one of those kids who carried a lunchbox to school. My mother gave me money and sent me off to the mercy of my primary school cafeteria. And honestly, I didn’t mind in the slightest. You see, I was a pretty picky eater. It wasn’t just that I didn’t like most vegetables, or meats or any food other than chocolate really. I just hated the thought of eating cold and/or soggy food for lunch.

I’m not a fan of lukewarm foods. If something is meant to be hot, I want it straight from the stove, oven or microwave, thank you very much. But since we didn’t have access to microwaves at my primary school, warming up an actual meal was out of the question.

Obviously, sandwiches were the next alternative to cafeteria food and lukewarm meals. But the only thing I hated more than cold food was soggy bread and limp veggies. Who would want that after hours of reading comprehension and arithmetic? I know I didn’t. 

Luckily, I’ve learned some tricks over the years and I no longer dread packing something like these vegan chickpea salad sandwiches for lunch. Instead, I make sure to keep everything separate until I’m ready to eat. I carry the bread in a sandwich bag, the spread in one container and toppings in another. Then I just construct my sandwich at the last moment. Easy, peasy with no soggy bread in sight.

Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich

And now that I’ve droned on and on about the proper etiquette for packing sandwiches for lunch, how about we actually talk about the vegan chickpea salad?

Even though this calls for quite a few ingredients, it’s pretty simple to throw together. All you need to do is slightly mash the chickpeas, throw everything else in and mix. I kid you not. In under 20 minutes, you’ll have an extremely satisfying, healthy vegan spread that’s creamy and crunchy (strange, but true) and bursting with flavour.

Oh, and those flavours only get better as this sits in the fridge, so when you have it for lunch the next day, your mind will be blown all over again.

If you make this sandwich, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and rate the recipe or take a pic and tag it #ExSlothEats on Instagram!

Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

These healthy, vegan chickpea salad sandwiches take less than 20 minutes and have a creamy, crunchy and flavourful filling that will leave you satisfied for hours.

Author: GiselleR @ ExSloth.com

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Vegan

Serves: 5

Ingredients

For the Vegan Chickpea Salad:

• 1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts*
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 tbsp green pepper, diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 pimento, chopped**
• 6 seedless purple grapes, halved
• 6 grape tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup diced apple
• 2 tbsp corn kernels
• 3 tbsp vegan mayo
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp sweet relish
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tsp dried dill (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Sandwiches:

• bread, lettuce, tomato slices, carrots, avocado, sriracha and other things for topping

Instructions

1. Add chickpeas to a bowl and mash slightly with a potato masher or fork
2. Add the rest of the ingredients for the chickpea salad, except the grapes and tomatoes, to the bowl and mix until well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning to suit
3. Gently fold in the grapes and tomatoes, being careful not release their juices
4. Serve immediately with bread and desired toppings or refrigerate for up to 3 days

Notes

* You can swap the walnuts for your favourite nuts or seeds or leave them out altogether
** I know pimento isn't always easy to find, but I added it in anyway because I love the subtle flavour it brings. Don't be afraid to leave it out if you can't source it, though.

3.5.3208

Want more Sandwiches? Try this one

And don’t forget to check out the linkup below for more packed lunch ideas!

Liked this recipe? Scroll over to pin it for later!

What about you?

• Did you enjoy packed lunches as a kid?
• What were/are your favourite ones?
• Have you ever made vegan chickpea salad before? 

Join the conversation in the comments below!

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