Chickpea Tuna-Style Salad Sandwich [vegan]

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” – Sam Keen

And for this specific reason, I don’t like to spend a lot of the rare German summer days in my kitchen. I just want to enjoy as much sun and quality time with friends and family as possible. However, this does not mean that I don’t love good food during summer. I actually love all the freshness that comes with delicious summer foods. So, whenever I find a new recipe that is 1. easy to make 2. delicious and last but not least 3. good for me, the environment and the animals, chances are huge that I won’t eat a lot of other things anymore. This is exactly what happened with today’s recipe.
DISCLAIMER: It does not taste like tuna! It’s a tuna STYLE salad!
First, I made it because I wanted to eat a high-protein meal after my run, the next 100 times I made it because it’s freaking good. If you like me and you grew up in a country where you don’t normally put tuna, mayo and cheese in a sandwich you might never have heard of "tuna melt". I as a matter of facts had never heard of tuna melt before I moved to England. But all of the sudden I found myself making it ALL the time. Back then (in 2013) I still ate fish but I still wasn't a massive fan of tuna and cheese of a sandwich (not saying that I never ate it or that it’s bad!). However, I quickly grew very fond of tuna and mayo (maybe because mayo is one of my favourite foods on earth) and only a few weeks into my stay it was a staple in my diet. When I stopped eating fish I obviously also stopped eating those delicious sandwiches.
Storytime: My whole family is very supportive of me not eating animal products, however, my dad’s approach to those things is really hilarious every now and then. A couple of months ago we had a barbeque at his house and keep in mind that I was fully vegetarian for more than two years at this point. So, I always just bring my own food with me. However, I still tell the host this in advance, so that he or she doesn’t feel the need to buy extra foods for me. I call my dad and tell him that I’ll bring my own barbeque things. He says: “Oh, yes I was wondering about that. I know you don’t eat meat but you also don’t eat sausages and what’s about fish?”. I really do love my dad but his approach to not eating meat is just the best. I mean, is it still meat if it doesn’t look like an animal anymore? That for sure would change the definition of a vegan sausage quite drastically. End of Storytime
I might have stopped eating fish but that didn’t stop me from eating sandwiches. One day after my run I came home and looked for some high-protein foods and I found a big can of chickpeas. I paired those with mayo, tomatoes and some herbs and spices and I ate it all in one sitting. It actually tasted that good that I made it again the next day, and the next day and … the next day. It doesn’t taste like tuna but I finally found something that is just as good as tuna with mayo on a sandwich. But please give it a fair shot and don’t expect something that tastes like tuna. After all, it’s a salad with chickpeas, it just can’t taste like tuna (because it’s not tuna). Long story cut short, let’s get started with today’s recipe!

Today's piece of happiness:

All you need: (2 people)
800 gr. chickpeas
~10 cherry tomatoes (quartered)
1/2 onion (peeled and chopped into small pieces)
2 tbsp. vegan mayonnaise
1 tbsp. (white wine) vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 tsp. dill (I used frozen dill)
1 tsp. sriracha (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste (I used a teaspoon each)
For the sandwich: 4 slices of toasted bread and 4 lettuce leaves

1. Step: Time to mash

Drain the chickpeas in a strainer in the sink, rinse with water and then place them in a flat bottom bowl/ deep plate. Peel and chop the onions into small pieces and add to the bowl. Take a masher and slightly mash the onions and chickpeas.

Don’t over work it, you don’t actually want to have a mushy consistency (hummus is great, but that’s not what we are going for). I usually end up with a couple of whole chickpeas and that’s good.

2. Step: Saucy time

After you mashed your chickpeas and onions add all the remaining ingredients, apart from the tomatoes. Mix it until everything is well combined and then add the tomatoes and give it a couple more gentle stirs.

3. Step: Serving time

Personally, I think the salad is very delicious on its own and that’s the way I eat it most of the time. However, every now and then I fancy a good sandwich. In this case, spread the salad on 4 (toasted) bread slices, add some lettuce and top with the remaining bread slices.

Here we go, I'm delighted to tell you: you have done it! Now go on and enjoy your self-made piece of happiness ♥

Have a great July (or what is left of it) and I’m excited to see you for the next recipe on the first of August! I hope you enjoy the new upload schedule and who knows, maybe I might squeeze in another post every now and then. I at least enjoy posting a little more and I’m looking forward to seeing you next month. Until then:
Do not forget: Happiness can be delicious, so go on and spread some feliciousness ❤️

Love, Miss Felicious XXX