Chickpea Salad (because tuna really sucks)

Chickpeas are one of the most awesome foods, and way more versatile than they seem. Here's a recipe for chickpea salad based on one I randomly found on the internet about 7 years ago and have been making ever since. This is a great sandwich option for people who don't eat or just don't like tuna salad. (Tuna contains mercury, smells disgusting, and catching it really disturbs the ocean's ecosystem. Therefore it sucks). For lunch today, I made it into a chickpea-salad melt with cheddar, but it's great served cold as well. Also, although I didn't use any in this recipe, some fresh dill or parsley would be a nice addition.

Stupidly Easy Chickpea Salad

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 heaping tbs. lite mayonnaise or vegannaise
1/2 medium onion or 1/4 large onion finely diced
1-2 carrots, chopped (cut them into rounds, then roughly chop the rounds even smaller)
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
About 6-7 chives, sliced into thin little rings
Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground pepper to taste

Instead of chopping up those veggies, you can use some Mirepoix (pre-diced onions, carrots, and celery) from Trader Joe's. That stuff is awesome. Unfortunately I didn't have any today.

Empty the rinsed chickpeas into a medium sized bowl and smash them with a potato masher. If you don't have one, you can use a fork but it might take forever. When most of the chickpeas are smooshed, add a big pinch of salt and some ground pepper. Add the mayo and mix everything really well with a fork - you can ditch the potato masher now. Add the onion and garlic powder - starting with a few shakes and tasting to see if you want more. Mix it up and then add the veggies and chives and you're done!

This is best served on toast with melted real or soy cheese and some mustard and relish.

Please enjoy this crappy cell phone picture