Salads – Reckless In The Kitchen

Howdy! Today I have a quick and delicious recipe that makes a great make-ahead lunch or just an all-around yummy snack; the Tuna Salad Alternative.

I personally am not a fan of tuna salad or chicken salad. For one, I don’t care for too much mayonnaise in general, but also canned tuna grosses me out a bit. I stumbled across this recipe not too long ago and had to try it out right away. What really caught my attention was the use of chickpeas in place of tuna or chicken. I made a few alterations to the recipe and I was so pleased with the final results that I had to share it with you.

I hope you enjoy this and I promise holiday baking posts will be coming soon.

The Tuna Salad Alternative

slightly adapted from LaurenConrad.com

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas (15 oz), drained and rinsed
1 celery stalk
1 1/2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin

Optional Additions:

Handful of nuts of your choice, roughly chopped
Handful of raisins or dried cranberries, roughly chopped
2 TBSP pickles, roughly chopped

Directions:

Roughly chop the chickpeas, celery, and optional additions.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Serve on toasted bread, your favorite crackers, or on top of a salad and enjoy!

It’s certainly not the most complicated recipe in the world, but it is yummy! What are your favorite additions to a tuna or chicken salad? I’m partial to dill pickles, or a crunchy nut such as pistachios.

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The Tuna Salad Alternative

slightly adapted from LaurenConrad.com

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas (15 oz), drained and rinsed
1 celery stalk
1 1/2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin

Optional Additions:

Handful of nuts of your choice, roughly chopped
Handful of raisins or dried cranberries, roughly chopped
2 TBSP pickles, roughly chopped

Directions:

Roughly chop the chickpeas, celery, and optional additions. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.Serve on toasted bread, your favorite crackers, or on top of a salad.

I bought some plants a couple of weeks ago and in celebration of them still being alive I decided to eat them! Err, some of them. Ok, that sounds weird. Good thing I don’t have a pet pig or calf?

Anyway, 2 weeks ago I got myself a basil plant and a peppermint plant. I’m proud to report that they are both thriving. To celebrate the success of my basil plant I am making my favorite summer salad. It is a refreshing and quick salad that is great on a warm summer night. I know it’s not quite summer-time yet, but this sunny 80 degree weather here in Charleston has got me already thinking about summer. (And also how I’m going to start melting when July and August come around)

Avocado Tomato Summer Salad

Ingredients

½ cup chickpeas, drained

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced length-wise

1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed

1 slice of a red onion

½ cup cubed mozzarella (optional)

fresh basil leaves (as many as you like)

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp smoked paprika (regular is ok too)

2 tsp olive oil

Combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, red onion and mozzarella (if using) in a bowl.

Next stack the basil leaves on top of each other and roll together. Slice the basil thinly, and this will create small, thin basil strips. Add the basil to the bowl.

Finally add the spices and olive oil and toss together. Voila!

Mmm Mmm Mmm Avocado Tomato Summer Salad and Balsamic Glazed Pork. YUM!

Avocado Tomato Summer Salad

Ingredients:

½ cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
1 slice of a red onion
½ cup cubed mozzarella (optional)
fresh basil leaves (to taste)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp smoked paprika (regular is ok too)
2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, red onion and mozzarella (if using) in a bowl.

Next stack the basil leaves on top of each other and roll together. Slice the basil thinly, and this will create small, thin basil strips. Add the basil to the bowl. Finally, add the spices and olive oil and toss together.