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There may be nothing handier than having a batch of chickpea salad hanging out in the fridge. Plus, making your own convenience foods gets you instant meals that are made to suit your tastes. Like this simple and flavorful little chickpea salad that will fill you up whether on a plate of munchies with crackers, tucked into a loaf of pita, or scooped atop big tender lettuce leaves. Mash up your chickpeas, stir in some dill, orange zest, and a little fennel seed, and you're set.
Well, almost. First, you whip up this simple tahini spread. Which is currently the favorite sandwich spread in the MSV kitchen. It's lemony and satisfying, and hangs onto a sandwich without running all over the place like thinner tahini sauces. And it's all thanks to pureeing in just a little bit of silken tofu. Did I mention handy?
Orange, Dill, and Fennel Chickpea Salad with Essential Fluffy Tahini Spread
serves 4-6
2 15-oz cans chickpeas
2 TBSP fresh dill
zest of half an orange (about 1 tsp)
generous pinch fennel seed
1/3 cup Essential Fluffy Tahini Spread, recipe follows
fine sea or kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Set aside in a sieve to let drain thoroughly while you prepare the other ingredients.
Transfer chickpeas to a mixing bowl and mash roughly with a potato masher. Stir in all other ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste.
Essential Fluffy Tahini Spread
yields about 1 cup
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup silken tofu (from an aseptic pack)
1/4 cup water
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 small clove garlic
1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Spread can be used immediately, but will firm and fluff up a bit after chilling in the refrigerator.