Woman in Real Life

Crunchy Cosmic Crisp apple chunks in a delicious mix of mashed chickpeas, vegan mayo, pickles, dried cranberries and more. This easy chickpea salad recipe can be used as a sandwich filling on toast or in a wrap, or put the chickpea salad on top of lettuce for a grain-free, low-calorie lunch option.

This easy chickpea salad recipe is a lunchtime staple in our house. We serve it in tortilla wraps with lettuce, on toast with avocado slices or simply on top of lettuce, without bread. Sometimes I eat it straight out of the bowl! Chickpea salad is popular with us because it's fast and easy to prepare, as well as being healthy and tasty. You may have seen similar chickpea salad recipes before, but did they contain crispy chunks of fresh apple? That's my (now not-so-) secret ingredient! The recipe calls for Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples, and they add a crunch that contrasts beautifully with the creamy mashed chickpea filling. 

Cosmic Crisps are crispier and sweeter than other apple varieties. They add increased nutrition to this already healthy chickpea salad - one medium apple contains just 100 calories, negligible fat and six grams of fibre. Cosmic Crisps are a perfect addition to this salad because, in addition to being sweet and crisp, they are naturally slow to brown when cut, meaning you can use leftover chickpea salad the next day (store it in a tightly covered container in the fridge). 

*This post is sponsored by Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples. All opinions are authentic and my own. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that partner with Woman in Real Life.*

Once that very quick job is done, all you have to do to make your tasty chickpea salad is add the remaining ingredients: diced apple, pickles, celery, red onion, dried cranberries, nutritional yeast, dried parsley, black salt and pepper. Black salt gives the chickpea salad an eggy flavour, if you're looking for that egg salad type of feel, but you can use regular salt if you don't have black salt. Stir it all together and your chickpea salad is done!

Serve this chickpea salad on top of lettuce for a lower calorie option. Or, serve it on toasted sprouted bread with avocado, lettuce and pickled onions. You can also add chickpea salad with apples to a whole grain tortilla and wrap it up for a fun, portable, nutritious lunch to take on the go to work or school.

This easy chickpea salad sandwich with Cosmic Crisps is a high-fibre lunch and a good source of healthy, plant-based protein from the chickpeas. Nutritional yeast is a vegan source of crucial Vitamin B12. Overall, this recipe makes for a filling, satisfying lunch that will help you meet your new year's goals of healthier eating!

More about Cosmic Crisp apples

Cosmic Crisp apples are the perfect portable vegan snack. Since apples are mostly made up of water, they have a low calorie density, meaning they help you feel full without a lot of calories. They’re free of fat, sodium and cholesterol. And the carbs in apples boost blood sugar less rapidly than some other foods.

• The Cosmic Crisp Washington Apple is a new apple variety, 20 years in development, that was classically bred at Washington State University and is non-GMO. (The creator of the Cosmic Crisp is retired WSU professor Dr. Bruce Barritt of Kelowna, B.C.)

• Cosmic Crisp brand apples are a cross between the ‘Enterprise’ and ‘Honeycrisp.’ This

sweet, large, juicy apple has a firm and crisp texture.

• Cosmic Crisp apples are suitable for snacking, cooking and baking, due to their sweetness

and crispy texture.

Get more information and delicious recipes (including apple-tizers!) at CosmicCrisp.com

Questions for you

How would you serve this chickpea salad recipe? Have you tried the Cosmic Crisp apple yet? What's your go-to recipe with apples?

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Easy Chickpea Salad Sandwich With Cosmic Crisp Apples Recipe (Vegan)

5 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
  3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
  1/2 large Cosmic Crisp Washington Apple, diced
  1 dill pickle, chopped finely
  1 rib celery, chopped finely
  1/2 small red onion, diced
  2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  1/8 teaspoon black salt or salt
  1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  
  
  
  

Instructions

Add chickpeas and vegan mayonnaise to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork, leaving some chickpeas chunky.

Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, to your preferences.

Serve chickpea salad on toast, in a tortilla or lettuce wrap or on top of salad.