3 min read

Toona Salad Recipe

I had a craving for Toona Salad this weekend. It stemmed from the fact that the temperature was in the 90s and it feels like summer.

My food photography needs work, but I can tell you that this meal prep is easy, and the result is delicious. The recipe makes 4 servings which is enough for one person for 4 meals (honestly it is!!). I tend to add extra veggies to make it even more hearty.

You can prepare your chickpeas in the pot, Instant Pot or you can prep the recipe with canned chickpeas. I soak my chickpeas on Friday night, throw them in the Instant Pot before I start my work out on Saturday morning and voila! By the time my workout is over I am ready to start my meal prep.

I put red pepper in everything, including when I cook my chickpeas. As you can tell from the background, I am still in the process of organizing the kitchen. I was just excited to find my Instant Pot last weekend. I have now prepared meals two weekends in a row in my new kitchen. It is a learning process because I have less space, but it is forcing me to make decisions about what I really need vs. want to have nearby. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Chickpea Toona Salad

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 can (14 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
½ lemon (fresh) or juice of 1/2 lemon
¼ cup of vegan mayo or hummus
½ cup celery (6 stalks), chopped
¼ cup red onion or shallots, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons chicken broth seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon Old Bay (optional)

Serving Options

4 whole grain buns

4 large romaine leaves

Instructions

Prepare the chickpeas

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in the microwave or on the stove.
Add 2 teaspoons chicken broth seasoning and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Stir well to combine
Drain the canned chickpeas. Save the chickpea liquid (aquafaba) for use in another recipe.
Add the chickpeas to the seasoned hot water. Allow to soak for 10 – 20 minutes
Drain the chickpeas (do not reserve liquid)
Add the chickpeas to a large bowl.
Mash the chickpeas with the back of a fork or potato masher until about ¾ of the chickpeas are mashed (leave some partially intact for texture)

Prepare the vegetables

Chop the celery, jalapeno pepper and onion.
Set aside

Prepare the salad

Add the hummus/mayo to the bowl with the chickpeas. Stir well to combine
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl with the chickpeas.
Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
Serve on a whole grain bun or rolled in a large lettuce leaf as a wrap.
You can also serve without any serving vehicle; it tastes great straight from the bowl.

Notes

My preference (for taste and cost) is to prepare my garbanzo beans from scratch when time permits. I soak them overnight and then cook them in the Instant Pot the next day. I prepare an entire bag and that provides me with chickpeas for several recipes and spare to fry in the air fryer as a snack.
I like to prepare the salad a day in advance of when I plan to serve. Allowing the spices to marinade for a few hours elevates the taste of the dish significantly. You can serve immediately, and it is still wonderful, but your leftovers will taste even better.
You can also serve the toona salad with veggies (cucumbers, bell peppers) or crackers
Store leftover toona salad in a tightly covered container for up to 5 days.