Hearty Indian-spiced Chickpea Salad

We make this recipe pretty much on a weekly basis round here in the 28 Cooks kitchen and I just realized I've never shared it on my blog. So let's rectify that immediately.

Vegetarians and vegans are often left out of the sandwich game. Sure, cheese sandwiches and veggie sandwiches have their place, but you can only eat so many of them. Sometimes you want something hearty - something that sticks with you. You want to open your lunch bag at work, pull out a sandwich and have people say "Now that looks tasty! What is that??" Enter the chickpea salad.

Everyone and their mother on Pinterest has some version of this salad, but I'd like to think mine is up there with some of the tastiest ones. And it couldn't be easier.

Start with chickpeas. You can use canned chickpeas, although we keep some in the freezer at all times just for this recipe.

Never tried freezing chickpeas? It's simple - take 4 cups dried chickpeas (or any dried bean for that matter) and add to pressure cooker with 6 cups water. And no, I don't mess with any of that presoaking nonsense. Ain't nobody got time for that. Sometimes I'll get real fancy and throw in a bay leaf or two, but more often than not, it's just the beans and water. Cover, bring to pressure, and cook per your pressure cooker's instructions. (Mine take about 45 minutes) Release pressure, rinse in cool water, dry, and freeze in bags.

Anyway, take some chickpeas, and add chopped carrots, onions, and pickles. Add celery if you want. There really is no wrong answer here. I like my salad on the drier side so I add just enough mayo to pull it together. Add more if you want. Mix in the spices and boom! You've got chickpea salad.

This makes great sandwiches and packs really well for brown bag lunches. My very favorite bread is a Rosemary Raisin variation of my One Hour French Bread recipe. Or keep it gluten free and put on top of a salad or in a lettuce wrap.

Hearty Indian-spiced Chickpea Salad
3 cups (or 2 cans) rinsed and drained chickpeas
4 tbsp. mayo (more or less, depending on your preference. Use vegenaise to keep it vegan)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped pickles
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Place chickpeas in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. I like a little texture in mine, but feel free to smash them as much as you want. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Allow salad to chill in the fridge for an hour or two for flavors to get all friendly like. Enjoy!