Chickpea Smash with Dill Pickles – Delicious Vegan Sandwich Filling!

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In today’s post I’m sharing a sandwich filling that is tangy, crunchy, creamy and oh so delicious! It reminds me of the Heinz Sandwich Spread that I used to love as a kid in the 80s, but this home-made version is way fresher, tastier and healthier too! 

Chickpea Smash Sandwich Filling (Vegan | Dairy-Free)

If you’re looking for a new sandwich to liven up school or work lunchboxes, I’d definitely recommend giving this recipe a try. It would also be great for picnics and buffets. As well as a sandwich filling, you can also use it as a topping for crackers. Perhaps even as a jacket potato topper too?

It’s really easy to make and takes around 12 minutes to prepare a large bowl, which will fill about five sandwiches. I tend to make one batch of chickpea smash at the start of the week, which we then use on the following days for Lucien’s school sandwiches, as well as our own.

The inspiration for today’s recipe was this Garden Veggie Chickpea Salad Sandwich from Jenn @ Peas and Crayons which I came across back in 2017, and have been making adapted versions of ever since. Jenn, in turn, credits Angela from Oh She Glows for inspiring her recipe, so it sounds like Angela is the original recipe creator. I’d like to thank both Jenn and Angela for inspiring the recipe I’m sharing today and for giving my family so much sandwich joy these past couple of years!

This recipe is highly versatile, so feel free to switch up the ingredients. I would definitely recommend keeping the dill pickles in though, as they give this recipe its signature tangy, crunchy bite. In England, dill pickles are called ‘gherkins’. It’s such a funny name isn’t it? Even funnier, my mum still calls them by their old slang name ‘Wallies’. Personally, I prefer to call them dill pickles as it sounds much more appealing to me than gherkins or wallies. How about you? What do you call them?

Recipe Card

Chickpea Smash Sandwich Filling (Vegan | Dairy-Free)

Chickpea Smash Sandwich Filling with Dill Pickles

This tangy, crunchy, creamy chickpea smash is perfect as a sandwich filling for school or work lunchboxes, as well as picnics and buffets. The quantity below fills about five sandwiches.
5 from 7 votes
Hands-on time 12 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Course Lunch, Snack
Servings 5

Ingredients
 

  • 400 g / 14 oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 140 g / 1 cup cucumber finely diced
  • 1 medium carrot (66g), grated
  • 1 small red bell pepper or romano pepper deseeded and finely diced
  • 75 g / ½ cup dill pickles or gherkins sliced
  • 2 TBSP pumpkin seeds
  • 4 TBSP vegan mayonnaise*
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp dried dill
  • pinch of salt

Instructions
 

  • Placed the drained chickpeas in a large bowl and roughly mash with a potato masher.
  • Add all the remaining ingredients and stir through until fully combined. Taste test and adjust the seasoning to suit.
  • Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, this chickpea smash will keep for three days.

Notes

* I use this Home-Made Sweet Chilli Mayonnaise It’s so cheap and easy to make! If you prefer to use a ready-made mayonnaise, both Vegenaise and Hellmans Vegan Mayo are now available in many of the major supermarkets in the UK, as well as the independent health food shops.
 
Keyword Family Friendly, Gluten-Free, Plant-Based, Vegan Buffets, Vegan Picnics, Vegan Sandwiches, Vegan Snacks
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Nutritional Breakdown

N.B. The above values are estimates. The actual nutritional values will vary depending on the brands and ingredients used.

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If you make this Chickpea Smash, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: InstagramFacebook, Pinterest.   

With love,

Sharon xx

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Curried Chickpea Smash Sandwich Filling

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Hey lovely people! Today, I have a new, tasty sandwich filling for you. It’s creamy, crunchy, tangy and gently spiced with the flavours of India. It also happens to be packed full of nutrients. This is a sandwich filling that will leave you feeling full and energised. Just what you need to see you through a busy afternoon at work or school.

For most of his school life, Lucien has chosen to take a packed lunch. In the primary years especially, this encouraged me to get creative and ‘think outside the box’ as I couldn’t rely on traditional sandwich fillings like cheese or peanut butter. In fact, during his entire seven years of primary school, he didn’t take a single traditional sandwich in his lunchbox. Instead, we tended to fill his box with leftovers from the previous night’s dinner – fajita wraps, pizza slices, tofu frittata, roasted vegetable pasta, Moroccan couscous, chunky soups, and even leftover Moroccan tagine and sweet potato curry!

Curried Chickpea Smash Sandwich

These non-traditional lunchboxes continued into secondary school. Since this was our ‘norm’, I didn’t think much of it, but I did chuckle when one of the parents pulled me to one side and said “Did you know, your son’s lunchboxes are creating lunchbox envy?” Apparently his friends were going home and telling their parents all about his lunches and how tasty they looked. The vegan kid giving his friends’ lunchbox envy? That’s pretty cool!

Anyway, this academic year, I’m determined to keep those lunchboxes varied and interesting, not just for Lucien’s sake, but also for all those secondary school kids peering into his box and wondering what vegans eat. You never know, it might just start to sow a few seeds of inspiration.

Lately, I’ve been on the lookout for new ways to incorporate tahini into our meals as it’s so nutrient-dense. It turns out that this curried salad dressing combined with a little mayonnaise is the perfect condiment for an Indian-style ‘chickpea smash’ sandwich filling.

This smash makes a delicious sandwich filling in its own right… or you can fully load it with extra salad, which is how I like it!

Curried Chickpea Smash Sandwich

This ‘Curried Chickpea Smash’ has been a huge hit with the family and it’s become a new favourite lunchbox addition for Lucien. We hope you enjoy it too!

Recipe Card

Curried Chickpea Smash Sandwich

Curried Chickpea Smash Sandwich Filling

This sandwich filling is creamy, crunchy, tangy and gently spiced with the flavours of India. It’s packed full of nutritional goodness, including lots of plant protein, complex carbs, heart-healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which will make you feel full and energised. Just what you need to see you through a busy afternoon at work or school!
Hands on time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Lunch
Cuisine Indian
Servings 5

Ingredients
 

Salad

  • 400 g / 14 oz can chickpeas drained
  • 130 g / 1 cup cucumber diced
  • 2 medium carrots (150g) grated (or whizzed in a mini chopper)
  • 75 g / ½ cup cornichon gherkins (dill pickles) diced
  • 50 g / ⅓ cup dried cranberries
  • 40 g / ¼ cup roasted almonds roughly chopped (I love to use the Tamari Roasted Almonds from the Bit of the Good Stuff Cookbook p182)

Curried Salad Dressing

  • 4 TBSP light tahini
  • ½ TBSP almond butter
  • 2 TBSP vegan mayonnaise*
  • ½ TBSP ginger paste or grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp maple syrup or syrup of choice
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ¼ tsp ground turmeric
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3-4 TBSP water

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the salad dressing: Give the tahini a good stir in its jar so that the solids and oils are combined, then scoop 4 tablespoons into a small bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir vigorously until fully combined and smooth. If the dressing is a little on the thick side, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. Taste test and add more nut butter, mayonnaise or spices, if desired.
  • Tip the drained chickpeas into a large mixing bowl and roughly mash using a potato masher. Add the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl, along with the dressing. Stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to five days.

Notes

* You can use shop-bought vegan mayonnaise (such as Hellmans) or easy home-made vegan mayonnaise.
Keyword Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Lunchbox Ideas, Vegan Lunch, Vegan Sandwiches
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Curried Chickpea Smash Collage

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations. Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.   

With love,

Sharon xx

Indian-Spiced Sweet Potato Fritters

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In today’s post, I’m sharing a new plant-based recipe that my family has been loving lately… it’s the Indian-spiced Sweet Potato Fritter. These fritters are filled with simple ingredients – sweet potato, onion, chickpea flour and spinach – which also happen to be nutritional powerhouses, providing an array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants ✨ The Indian spices used to flavour the fritters – cumin and garam masala – notch up their antioxidant potency even further.

Not only are they quick and easy to make, but they’re super cheap too! According to my calculations, it cost just £1.07 to make six fritters. That’s 18p each. Bargain!

Indian-Spiced Sweet Potato Fritters (Vegan | Dairy-Free)
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