Chickpea Salad Sandwich

It goes without saying that I am a big fan of chickpeas.  They are my most favorite legume and I love to utilize them in as many ways possible.  I love them on salads, ground into flour for socca and other baked goods, as hummus, etc.

When Dayv first went vegan, I kind of assumed he would share the same love I have for chickpeas.  He liked hummus ok, so why not the legume in it's natural form?  I tried sneaking them into his soup and pasta dishes, but he would always eat around them and then tell me later, "I don't like chickpeas.."  It seriously broke my heart, as if he told me he didn't like my best friend or something.

Then a couple of weeks ago, Dayv told me he missed mayonnaise.  I have never once in my entire 7 years of being vegan had any desire to eat or purchase mayonnaise.  But I caved and bought a jar of Vegenaise.  Dayv was immediately in love.  That got me thinking...  If I covered chickpeas in mayo would he like it??  Answer- yes!

This chickpea salad was inspired by the tuna salad my mom used to make for me when I was little.  The chopped cucumbers were always one of my favorite parts, almost like a fun little surprise with every bite.  My mom used to also add red onion and celery, but Dayv doesn't like those veggies(yet!), so I used carrots.   One element of this sandwich which Dayv says is crucial are the pickles.  So don't forget the pickles!

Chickpea Salad Sandwich
makes two sandwiches

for salad:
1/2 cup cooked chickpea, mashed with a fork
1/4-1/2" slice of cucumber, diced
1 small carrot or 3 baby carrots, thinly sliced and diced
1 heaping tbsp vegan mayo (we use Organic Vegenaise)

for sandwich:
4 pieces of gluten-free vegan bread or bun, toasted (we used Ener-G Brown Rice Bread)
2 thinly sliced pieces of tomato
2 pieces of Romaine lettuce
8 pickle slices (we use Bubbie's Bread and Butter Pickles)
extra mayo for spreading on toast

Combine all salad ingredients, making sure to thoroughly coat all veggies with mayo.

Spread mayo on all 4 pieces of toast.  Evenly divide salad between two pieces of the bread.  Next, layer on the pickles, tomato, and lettuce.  Top each with another piece of toast, mayo side down.  Enjoy!