Who didn’t open their lunchbox and find a tuna salad sandwich nestled sweetly next to some carrot sticks and a red, juicy apple? A yummy creamy, but crunchy treat between two pieces of wonder bread with a squirt of mustard. Yeah, I’ve been there, and honestly of all the typical lunch room foods and I really enjoyed this one– minus the smell!
A lot of you guys have been asking for easy vegan lunch ideas, and since you can only have so many faux-meat-deli-slices sandwiches; I decided to go back to what I used to enjoy as a kid before I changed lifestyles. Tuna was an obvious one. My mum used to make us tuna sandwiches and then we would just eat the leftover tuna salad on it’s own. In college I was obsessed with tuna melts– it was just the perfect study or late-night-after-the-bar-drunk-food snack.
At this point in my life I would never recommend anyone eat real tuna, you know with it being an animal, ocean mercury levels and cruelty and all– but you CAN make this delicious vegan version for all your tune melt needs! This tuna salad is great in a toasted sandwich with greens and mustard, but is also the perfect filling for a hearty collard wrap. If you’re feeling super adventurous (as I usually am), you can adda big scoop to a bagel or toast, top it with your favourite vegan cheese slice and bake it until the cheese melts– heavenly. The chickpeas in this recipe provide a creamy neutral base, while the carrots add a nice pink hue, slight crunch and hint of sweet. Don’t forget the pickles!
WANT SOME MORE HEALTHY VEGAN LUNCH OPTIONS? DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE VEGAN EGG SALAD WE MADE OVER ON NIKKY’S CHANNEL HERE!
- 1 can of chickpeas or 2 cups of cooked from dry
- 1 carrot, peeled
- 2 tbsp finely chopped celery
- 1.5 tbsp minced dill pickle
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1.5 tbsp vegan mayo
- ½ tbsp tamari
- ½ tbsp kelp granules
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
- In a food processor, add carrots and process until are tiny bits and pieces.
- Add the chickpeas, nutritional yeast, kelp, lemon juice, salt and pepper until they are tiny pieces. Stop before it becomes hummus, but go until it looks kind of like flakey tuna, about 8-10 pulses.
- In a large bowl mix vegan mayo, pickles and celery until well combined.
- Add the chickpea mixture to the mayo mixture and mix well. Be careful not to mush the chickpeas.
- Eat on toast with kale and tomato, in a wrap, or on it's own!
How do you like to east your vegan tuna? Don’t forget to share with a friend if you like the recipe!
cmt says:
Hi, can you give a measurement in either grams or oz for the quantity of chickpeas in each can? I’m in France and the cans are sometimes either tiny or huge. Thanks so much. 🙂