Chickpea "Tuna" Salad ; A Plant-Based Alternative to Traditional Tuna Salad

If you enjoy the taste and texture of traditional tuna salad but are looking for a healthier plant-based alternative, mashed chickpeas are hard to beat. Not only are they delicious, but they also offer one important advantage: you don't have to worry about mercury.

Mercury in Fish

Mercury is a metal that is caused by pollution in our oceans and can build up in fish over time. It is definitely not good for us. Larger, longer-lived fish tend to accumulate more mercury than smaller fish. That's why canned white (albacore) tuna contains significantly more mercury than chunk light tuna, which is usually made from skipjack tuna. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), white albacore tuna contains nearly three times more mercury than canned light tuna.

Choose Light verses White Tuna 

If you eat tuna regularly, choosing light tuna over white tuna may help reduce your mercury exposure. But chickpea "tuna" salad, may help eliminate that concern completely. And it is good too!!

Plant-Based Protein Has Valuable Fiber; Fish Doesn't Have Any

Chickpeas offer nutritional benefits that traditional tuna doesn't. They're an excellent source of dietary fiber (we all need more fiber, right? ) which supports digestive health and helps keep you feeling satisfied. Chickpeas also provide plant-based protein, iron, folate, and other essential nutrients, while being naturally cholesterol-free.

I find myself keeping meals much simpler during the summer months. I've made chickpea "tuna" salad before, but this time I changed the recipe up a bit and made it smooth instead of chunky.

We ate outside on the deck last night. There was very little humidity, the temperature was in the high 70s, and it was quite pleasant. Fortunately,  the mosquitoes don't like neither me nor my husband We enjoyed our light vegan "tuna" dinner with slices of cucumber and rice cakes. 

Overate On The Cruise

After all the rich meals we enjoyed on our Alaska cruise, I'm ready to get back to lighter, healthier eating and lose the few extra pounds we brought home with us.

When I was growing up, tuna sandwiches were one of my favorite lunches or light dinners. As a vegan, this mock chickpea "tuna" salad is the closest thing I've found to a traditional tuna sandwich. It has a similar texture and appearance, while offering its own fresh, delicious flavor.

Recipe link for chunkier mashed recipe with vegan mayo 

For this smoother recipe, I simply rinse and drain a can of chickpeas, then toss them into my food processor along with some red onion, cherry tomatoes, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. After a few quick pulses, it turns into a creamy, flavorful spread that's perfect on rice crackers or piled high on gluten-free bread for a satisfying sandwich.

I made this version a little less chunky than the recipe I made before which was mashed with a fork and added vegan mayo. The version I made in the food processor is without vegan mayo and simply blended it with veggies to give it moisture. Both were good. 

Below is a picture of the chunkier version and a link to the recipe.

If you are concerned about mercury, why not try this alternative to traditional tuna salad. It's an easy meal/snack and a winner. 

Does the mercury content in fish every concern you? Would you try something like this?

My notes: 

1. This recipe is gluten-free and vegan

2. I do love chickpeas-  they are filling, tasty, and versatile

3. Make your own chickpeas in the Instant Pot ( and they freeze well too)

Ingredients: 

1 can of chickpeas, washed and drained

1/2 medium red onion, diced large

4 cherry tomatoes

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

optional: red pepper, parsley, dill, etc. 

Directions: 

Using the sharp blade, put everything into the food processor.Pulse a few times to blend to desired consistency. Use as a spread on GF crackers, rice cakes or (GF) bread or (GF) bagel.

Our Alaska Cruise - First Stop Seattle

Our Alaska Cruise Began with an Unexpected Surprise in Seattle

We had spent months wondering about the best time to visit Alaska. Would it be cold? Rainy? Foggy? As it turned out, we couldn't have picked a better week. Once our cruise began, we were treated to sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s to upper 60's  almost every day—perfect weather for exploring Alaska's beautiful ports.

This photo was taken in the Space Needle overlooking Seattle. 

Before boarding our cruise ship, we spent two nights in Seattle, Washington, giving us time to see a few of the city's famous attractions (we went with 3 other couples). What the eight of us didn't expect was to arrive in Seattle during a major heat wave.

The afternoon we landed, temperatures soared into the high 90s with high humidity. Since we had packed for Alaska's cooler weather, our suitcases were filled with jeans, sneakers, and long-sleeved shirts—not exactly ideal for a sweltering hot Seattle day- which they said was unusual for Seattle.

Despite the heat, we headed to Seattle's famous Pike Place Market. More than just a fish market, it's a lively waterfront destination filled with local artisans, flower vendors, restaurants, specialty food shops, and, of course, the fresh seafood and fish-throwing demonstrations that have made it world-famous.

Normally, we would have loved wandering through the market. Instead, the combination of the oppressive heat and no air conditioning made our visit there much shorter than we had  originally planned. 

Feeling overheated and exhausted, we decided to call it a day and returned to our hotel to cool off. Dinner was a simple meal at a popular local hotspot. It was crowded but we still were able to get a table for 8 with no prior reservations.

Fortunately, our second day in Seattle was much more enjoyable. The temperature dropped into the  70s, making it comfortable to explore on foot. We visited two of Seattle's iconic attractions—the Space Needle and the spectacular Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit. Both were worth seeing. The Space Needle offered spectacular views of the city and the Chihuly exhibit was exceptional glass art!

Both were within easy walking distance of our hotel, making for a relaxed and enjoyable day. Dinner was in a nearby food court with lots of choices for everyone. Since we knew we would be eating fancy meals on the cruise, we did some simple eating in Seattle. 

The Chihuly Glass Art was exquisite. Here is a small sampling.

Hot Spot for locals for dinner: Walking distance from our hotel.

When we were leaving the grounds surrounding the Space Needle in the late afternoon, vendors were busy setting up booths for what looked like a large outdoor arts and crafts festivity. We were disappointed to learn it wouldn't begin until the next morning.

Ransom Shooting

The next morning we boarded our cruise for Alaska. Later, we learned there had been a random shooting at that very vendor event we passed through the day before and 3 people were killed. It was heartbreaking and frightening and to think that, had our schedule been just one day different, we might have been there when it happened.

In fron to ehe entrance to the Space Needle

 As we boarded our ship to sail north toward our first stop in Alaska, we were happy to leave the heat and humidity behind and begin what would become a wonderful cruise. My next post will be about our stops in Alaska. I got home late Friday night and I am exhausted. 

Have you been to Seattle? How about Alaska? 

Alaska Vacation

I'm on vacation in Alaska on a cruise. I'll have lots of photos to share when I return, which should be any day since I left well over a week ago.

 Hope you are enjoying your summer. 

Cat Sitting and Photos of Our Adventures

Cat Sitting 

My sister-in-law lives about 15 minutes away from us. She went to California for 10 days. We made a trip daily to her house to feed, clean litter boxes, and play with her two cats. We usually spent about an hour there.

They were a lot of fun and we had a good time with them . 

The black and white cat is named Cookie ; the brownish colored cat is named Maple. They are great company for each other, but they still enjoyed our visits. 

I made sure to give them a "Churo" treat each time I came. They went wild over the treat and warmed up to me. 

I'm sharing some photos I took of them over the course of the week. 

Maple liked to go high up on her cat playground to give herself some space away from everyone.

Cookie is the quieter of the two. She is not as playful

Cookie likes to lay on her back

Maple loves her round tunnel. She often zips right through it in a flash!!

Maple looks like she posed for this picture. What a beauty.

Cookie on her scratch pad .

We had fun with them but- we and I am sure that they -were glad when their mommy came home. 

Do you have cats? We don't have any of our own- but most of our local family members have cats. 

We have a grand-cat named LuLu that I have shared about before. Lulu does not like other cats!!!

LULU 

My Notes: 

Please consider purchasing my cookbook on Amazon!  plant-based soups cookbook (affiliate link)

My Soups Cookbook contains over 80 healthy soup recipes and 80 inspirational quotes and time saving cooking tips to help encourage, guide, and inspire readers to reach a greater level of wellness. Plant-based soups cookbook (affiliate link)  on Amazon with a "look inside" option to see all the recipe titles and introduction.