Smoky Vegan Chickpea Sandwich

Thrown together in less than 10 minutes, this filling Smoky Vegan Chickpea Sandwich is a must-try for your next lunch. Packed with fresh ingredients, you’ll finish up feeling healthy, and even more so satisfied.

Skip to any part of the recipe by clicking on the links below:

• Introduction

• Before we Get Started

• Ingredients

• Method

• Spruce it Up

Introduction

I had great difficulty putting this recipe together. Every food blog needs a sandwich - right? I had to ask myself whether I was happy with releasing a recipe that I was semi-happy with; that I looked at and thought “that works”.

I wasn’t.

I had to hit the drawing board though. I’ve seen endless chickpea sandwiches. I’ve seen tofu and tempeh sandwiches. I’ve seen every vegan sandwich in between, and I wanted to make mine stand out. But how?

I packed it full. I made it a sandwich that even a person who doesn’t eat plant-based food would enjoy. Ingredients like onion sprouts, kale, carrots, and lettuce (for me) shouldn’t be the star of your show when they’re on a sandwich. They should highlight, emphasize, and work with your main ingredient.

The chickpeas are smoky, spicy, warm, and mellow. They’re not dry. And they work well. They make the sandwich substantial, and filling. You won’t miss preservative-filled deli meat when you’re eating this, especially when you walk away feeling like you didn’t need to pack that extra granola bar.

The secret to this ingredient is getting the chickpea mixture right, and adding toppings that you enjoy. I’ve added the ones that I like, but if you don’t like any of them - take them off and throw them in the bin.

Check out the Spruce it Up section down below for ideas on how to take this recipe to the next level.

Before we Get Started

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: None

Total Time: 10 Minutes

Yield: 2-3 Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 can Chickpeas

• Dark Rye Bread

  • Or, your favourite bread

• Tomato

  • I used beefsteak, but use whatever you have on hand

• Avocado

• Kale

• Pickled Red Onion

• Hummus

• 1 tbsp. Soy Sauce

• 1 tsp. Cumin

• 1/2 tbsp. Chili Powder

• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder

• 1 tsp. Onion Powder

• Splash of Lime or Lemon Juice

Method

1. Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Put them into a bowl with your spices, soy sauce, lime/lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mash them with a fork or masher, and mix to incorporate everything.

2. Put your bread of choice in the toaster.

3. While your bread is toasting, slice your tomato. Despine your kale, and tear it into bite-sized pieces..

   • “Despining” is a fancy culinary term for tearing the leaves from the stem.

4. Peel, slice in half, and deseed your avocado. Slice in half again to obtain a quarter. Lay the quarter such that the top is facing away from you and the bottom of the avocado is facing towards you. Make three or four cuts from the top to the bottom, and press downwards with your hand to fan the avocado.

5. Lay one of your slices of toast down on the cutting board. Spread generously with hummus. Lay your teared kale down. Place your tomato slices and your fanned avocado on top.

6. Take your chickpea mixture, and place as much as you’d like on top. Press with a spoon to ensure it is level across the top. Add some pickled red onions on top.

7. Add another generous amount of hummus to the top slice, and close.

8. Slice in half, diagonally.

9. Enjoy.

Spruce it Up

• Add some jalapenos or red chili pepper to kick up the heat.

• Use some of your favourite vegan sauces in the chickpea mixture to add some more flavour.

• Add some onion sprouts for a great crunch and flavour.