Curried Chickpea Salad
This is another wondrous recipe from Susan Voisin, whose creativity apparently is never ending with her steady supply of fat-free and low fat vegan recipes. Just don't make the mistake of thinking fat-free means taste-free. She has the unique gift of bringing together the tastiest ingredients, spices, and flavorings.
I, being one whose first priority is taste, and fat level being secondary, am constantly amazed at how fabulous her creations are.
This one, I think, is my favorite so far of all of her recipes that she has so generously shared on her blog. The lusciously warm flavors of curry and cumin literally sent my taste buds dancing in my mouth! It is one of those special recipes where, when you take the first bite, you stop chewing, let the flavors swell through your mouth, and then go "WOW!" (at least, that's what I did when I tried the first bite of this!!)
You'll note that one of the ingredients is okara, something one has TONS of when making your own soymilk or tofu. Susan created this recipe as a way to utilize the never ending supply of okara, but notes that mashed tofu can be used as well. As someone who makes soymilk and tofu on a regular basis, I am thrilled to find a tasty use for my okara (although my dog is less than pleased ... he used to get all of it!)
See also her other chickpea creation, which also uses okara as one of the ingredients: Chickpea Spread with Fresh Herbs
Curried Chickpea Salad
© Susan Voisin. No reproduction without permission from the author.
See here for original post at FatFreeVegan blog.
1/2 medium onion, minced
1/2 bell pepper, minced
1/2 hot chile pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1 teaspoon good curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup okara or silken tofu, mashed well
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Nayonaise or other vegan mayo (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Generous grating black pepper
In a small saucepan, sauté onion over medium-high heat until it softens, about 2-3 minutes. Add bell pepper and hot pepper, if using, and cook another minute. Add curry powder and cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
Mash chickpeas in a medium-sized bowl. Add the onion mixture and all remaining ingredients. Stir well and check for seasoning. If necessary add a little more curry powder, salt, or lemon juice. Refrigerate until chilled.
Brenda's notes: I used the food processor to mash the chickpeas. Once they were mashed, I just added all the other ingredients (already having sautéd the onion and pepper as directed) and pulsed the food processor to combine all the ingredients. I did use the vegan mayo.
Having an extremely tender palate (!) I did not use the chile pepper. Since I don't use pepper in anything, I eliminated that ingredient.
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