Tasty Tuesday: Tuna-less Tuna Salad
Usually, I don’t like to name my plant based dishes after their animal based counterpart. However, the flavor profile in this one is so close to tuna salad it would be weird not to. How does one get a chickpea salad to resemble something from the sea? The secret ingredient is…nori seaweed! Usually a staple in sushi, it works beautifully in this dish to bring that from-the-sea flavor. Coincidentally, nori is incredibly nutrient dense. It is a great source of calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins A through E and K, niacin, folic acid, taurine, polyphenols, alkaloids, fiber, and protein. Not bad for a weed from the sea!
Tuna-less Tuna Salad:
First, make the cashew sour cream:
-Soak 1 cup raw cashews in water for several hours or overnight.
-Drain and rinse cashews and blend with the following:
• 1/4 tsp sea salt • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice • 1/2 cup water • 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Blend together until smooth and creamy. You may add up to 1/4 cup more water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Now you are ready to make the salad!:
-Put the following ingredients in a large bowl:
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 28 oz can)
3 celery stalks, diced small
3 pickles, diced small
2 tbsp nori seaweed flakes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Cashew Sour Cream
sea salt to taste
-Mash all ingredients to break up the chickpeas.
-Serve!
Recipe adapted from Rouxbe Forks Over Knives Cooking Course
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