Chickpea Sandwich

If you love chickpeas as much as I do, this sandwich is a great way to eat them. I originally saw this recipe for smashed chickpea salad a few years ago over at smitten kitchen and immediately fell in love. My recipe varies slightly from hers, but can definitely be eaten as a chickpea salad or a chickpea sandwich. I like to take my chickpea sandwiches to the next level, and I'll show you how to do that at the end. :D

This is something I make when nothing else sounds good - and it's a fantastically filling work lunch or a quick dinner when you don't want to put much effort into it!

• one 14.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion (the more red onion the better!)
• one lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• one garlic clove, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro, whatever you have on hand
• good quality olive oil

And for a very fancy sandwich - bread, butter, and a little of your favorite shredded cheese. (I use Earth Balance and Daiya cheese, so it's vegan!)

Combine the chickpeas, onion, herbs, and garlic in a medium sized bowl.

Now, zest your lemon! Try to get as much zest as possible off it - it makes it extra yummy! I've forgotten to zest the lemon a couple times when making this and it just didn't taste as awesome.

Squeeze half a lemon over the bowl, being careful to not include any seeds. They can be very hard to see in this mixture!

Then, add a good glug of olive oil (probably a tablespoon to start, you can add more later.)

Also add a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. :)

Using a potato masher or a giant fork or whatever you can find that would work, mash everything together until you can't see any whole chickpeas anymore. If it seems crumbly, add a little more olive oil to help it come together. :)

At this point, give it a taste! I normally add more pepper and more lemon juice. Just keep adding and tasting until you're happy with it.

This basically turns into a chickpea grilled cheese - it's super easy if you have a sandwich maker, but it's much prettier if you cook it on the stove. :)

Butter two slices of bread and place a little cheese on the first slice. Then layer on a few big spoons of the chickpea mixture, pressing it into place. Add a little more cheese on top and then cook it like you would a grilled cheese. I cook it over medium heat so the outside won't burn before the cheese melts - the cheese melting is key in getting it to turn over without a catastrophe. It kinda acts like glue.

If you're not feeling up to it, it's pretty good on plain old bread too, or in a pita. :D

And you can eat the leftover chickpea mixture as a salad if you like. Double duty!