RECIPE | CHICKPEA MELT

Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a great start to the week. I am kicking it off with a sandwich that I'm thrilled to share with you all. It's a Chickpea Melt inspired by my Husband at Home (haha get it?). This is basically a vegetarian version of Tuna Melt but there's no fish! When I first heard that you could replace tuna with chickpeas in a sandwich, I thought, "No way, you can't. The texture, the smell, the taste are so different". So when my husband gave it a shot and made me try my first bite, I actually could not believe how close it was and get this, no awful tuna breath afterwards! Canned chickpeas have a similar texture and smell to tuna so when mashed together with mayo, veggies and some spices it's the perfect substitute for tuna. Chickpeas are also loaded with fibre along with many other nutritional benefits.

In this recipe, I'm using organic canned chickpeas by Compliments which you can find at Sobey. I'm also using organic mayo by Spectrum. I find that the combination of the red peppers, celery, carrots and green onion give this sandwich the crunch and punch it needs. The spices also help too so don't skip out on that. I hope you all give this a try and if you do like it, please share it with your family and friends. It's a sustainable dish that encourages us to avoid over fishing our oceans. Don't get me wrong, I love tuna. However, knowing all the pollution that is thrown into the oceans and with tuna being at the top of the food chain, we are ingesting a lot of the toxins consumed down that food chain. So keep that in mind the next time you purchase tuna. If you do, please make ensure it's dolphin-friendly and sustainable by checking to see if it has a MSC or Ocean Wise logo on it. And if you do, thank you so much for considering the environment. Have a great week!

YIELDS 3-4 PIECES | PREP TIME 35 MINS | BAKE TIME 5 MINS

INGREDIENTS

• 2 x 398 ml cans of organic chick peas, rinsed well and mashed
• 1 cup of organic mayo (or vegan mayo)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 3 stalks of green onions, finely diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 stalks of celery, finely diced
• 1 long whole wheat bun or baguette, enough to serve 4 pieces
• 4 slices of cheddar cheese (or dairy-free cheese)
• 1/8 tsp of garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp of paprika
• 1/8 tsp of pepper

Required: Potato masher

1. Prepare all ingredients as listed above. Note: Make sure chickpeas are thoroughly rinsed in a colander until water runs clear. Strain them well. Mash them until they reach the consistency you prefer.
2. Mix together all the diced vegetables, mashed chickpeas, spices and mayo until well combined.
3. Preheat your toasted oven to 350 degrees F. Slice your bread into 4 pieces and leave the slices open faced.
4. Scoop enough chickpea mixture to your bread. Top it off with a slice of cheddar cheese. Repeat this process for remaining buns.
5. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted. Crack some fresh pepper over top and serve immediately. Enjoy!