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Chickpea “Tuna” Salad Bites with Dill

vegan-chickpea-tunaless-nori-dill_680x450This tasty vegan “tuna” salad is light, protein-packed and deliciously creamy you’d think you’re having a classic tuna-egg mayo salad. Surprisingly, it doesn’t have any tuna, eggs, or mayo! It’s especially great for those who are intolerant to eggs in mayonnaise, as the base cream is made from cashews.

But the secret to making these taste just like the classic lies in some special ingredients; Black Salt and Nori. Black salt, also known as Kala Lamak, actually has a pinkish-purple hue, and is often used throughout South Asia. It brings in an interestingly ‘egg-like’ flavor due to its sulphur compounds. While, Nori is a seaweed algae that helps give this mixture a ‘from the sea’ taste that’s reminiscent of tuna fish.

Spoon over crispy baby gem lettuce, crackers, or sandwich between your favorite bread. This mixture tastes even better the next day… that is if you have any leftovers!

Chickpea “Tuna” Salad Bites with Dill

Created by on June 2, 2016

This recipe was adapted from my plant-based course with rouxbe.com

  • Prep Time: 1h
  • Total Time: 1h

Ingredients

Cashew Sour Cream

  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
  • 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

"Tuna" Salad

  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 2 to 3 tbsp. shallots
  • 2 to 3 celery stalks
  • 2 to 3 dill pickles (small)
  • 1 Tbsp capers, drained
  • 2 Tbsp nori seaweed flakes (or 2 sheets, shredded)
  • 1 tbs dried dill
  • 1 tsp black salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup cashew sour cream
  • 1 pack baby gem lettuce
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes

Instructions

Cashew sour cream*

  1. In a large glass bowl, add the raw cashews and pour enough boiling water to cover them. Place cling film over the bowl and soak for 30 min - 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
  2. In a high speed blender, add the cashews and the rest of the ingredients, and blend until you reach a really smooth consistency, adding a bit more water if needed.
  3. Set 1/2 cup of the mixture aside, and store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

"Tuna" salad

  1. Wash and dry the baby gem lettuce leaves.
  2. Slice the grape tomatoes in quarters.
  3. Drain, rinse and place the chickpeas into a large bowl.
  4. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the chickpeas to break them up, keeping some texture.
  5. Finely dice the shallots, celery, pickles, capers, and add them to the chickpeas.
  6. Add the nori flakes, salt, pepper, dill, and mix well.
  7. Pour in the cashew sour cream and mix everything well. Taste for seasoning.
  8. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a couple tablespoons more of the cashew sour cream.
  9. Place a spoonful of the mixture over the lettuce leaves, top with cherry tomatoes or fresh dill, and serve! You can also enjoy this as a sandwich topped with alfalfa sprouts or sliced cucumbers.

* Note. You may soak the cashews the day before to cut back on assembly time.

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