• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Search
  • The Casual Zine
  • Instagram
  • Component Cooking
  • Explore an Ingredient
  • Stock a Pantry

Naturally Ella logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Search
  • The Casual Zine
  • Instagram
  • Component Cooking
  • Explore an Ingredient
  • Stock a Pantry
×

Home > Blog

10.2.13 Chickpea

Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Blue Cheese and Grapes

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Green Grapes
Mashed Chickpeas

Blue Cheese, and Grape Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Chickpea, Blue Cheese, and Grape Salad Sandwich

Chickpea, Blue Cheese Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Chickpea, Blue Cheese, and Grape Salad Sandwich

Chickpea, Blue Cheese, and Grape Salad Sandwich
Chickpea, Blue Cheese, and Grape Salad Sandwich
Chickpea, Blue Cheese, and Grape Salad Sandwich
Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Blue Cheese and Grapes

Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Blue Cheese
Last Saturday can only be labeled as "the day of the breakdown." I had just come from two long, awesome days at a conference and woke up Saturday on the wrong side of the bed. I cried, bawled, and threatened to stay in bed all day. It was horrible and it was mainly because of this sinking feeling that I couldn't do it (it was mainly referring to pursing working for myself.) The only analogy I can give is that of a cartoon baby bird being tossed out of the nest for the first time, flapping wings as fast as possible, wondering if it was too late to go back to the nest. I was a hot mess.

While I'm not exactly sure where this breakdown came from, I can say that a good majority spawned from comparing myself to others. I love conferences but when you chat for hours with all these awesome people, it's hard not to feel behind, out of place, or in general, not good enough.

Luckily, this isn't a pity party (because it really shouldn't be, I was being ridiculous) and I have a majorly awesome husband who knows the right time to tell me to get over myself and remember the article we JUST read (this one, which I have mixed feelings about because for the most part I am a very happy person. Just not this day.)

So anyway, I didn't stay in bed all day (trust me, it was tempting) and I started meditating on what kinds of things I could do to keep myself moving forward. In the past week I've made four recipes and zero have made it past the photo editing phase. For better lack of words, they all sucked. The flavor was "meh" and the photos felt forced and rather ugly. I had effectively put myself in a temporary creative box which I think also led to said breakdown.

But what I'm realizing from all of this is that I will only ever be as good as the standards I set for myself and while I set high standards, I try and not set unobtainable ones. It's when I lower my standards and am okay with sub-par work that I start to panic (those recipes nearly made it on to the site).  This sandwich is my attempt at stepping out of the temporary creative box and into a new space of exploration, pushing myself creatively. Yes I know, to you it's just a sandwich but to me, well, it's just still just a sandwich but it's the step towards putting my head down and just working hard.

This chickpea salad sandwich is adapted from Food and Wine. The original recipe is chicken salad that I've made for M a few times and decided I wanted to take it veg. Gorgonzola, goat cheese, or any other type of soft cheese would work well in this recipe. I've also been known to sub in pecans for the sunflower seeds.

Print

Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Blue Cheese and Grapes

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Erin Alderson
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 mins
  • Yield: 3-4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ cups (1 can) chickpeas
  • ¼ cup diced celery, about 1 rib
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 3 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
  • ¾ cup green seedless grapes, sliced in half
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1-2 ounces of blue cheese
  • 3 tablespoons mayo, mayo sub, or greek yogurt*
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • salt as needed

Instructions

  1. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse thoroughly. Place chickpeas in a bowl and mash with the back of a fork or potato masher until the majority of chickpeas are broken down. Add celery, parsley, sunflower seeds, grapes, and pepper to the bowl. Stir to combine.
  2. In a small bowl, crumble blue cheese. Add in mayo and vinegar, stirring until blue cheese is incorporated into the mayo. Pour into the chickpea mixture and stir until everything is coated.
  3. Serve on top of lettuce or as a sandwich.

Notes

* When I use greek yogurt, I tend to add a teaspoon or two of honey to cut the tang down just a bit.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @naturallyella on Instagram and hashtag it #naturallyella

Chickpea, Blue Cheese, and Grape Salad Sandwich

More recipes you may enjoy

  • Spiced Summer Squash Salad with Chickpeas
  • Chickpea Curry with Cauliflower
  • Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
  • Chickpea Deli Salad (The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon)

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Inspiralized says

    October 02, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    I like the tip about adding the honey to bring down the tang of the yogurt! I'll have to try that. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Mollie says

    October 02, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    Ill never forget when you posted the quote from Ira Glass. I have that on my wall, I read it when I have creative mental i-dont-know-what-I-am-doing-life-is-horrible-i-cant-function-moments. Hang in there...have a cookie

    Reply
  3. Elaine says

    October 02, 2013 at 3:19 pm

    Wow, this looks amazing!! I've always liked the idea of a "salad sandwich" but being a vegetarian (and hating eggs) makes it difficult to realize this concept. I will definitely be making this very soon! (I also made your burst tomatoes and farro recipe, which was delicious, so yours is quickly becoming my favorite food blog!)

    Reply
  4. Supal says

    October 02, 2013 at 3:51 pm

    This is perfect! One of my best friends lives in Barcelona and she's not much of a meat eater. She does, however, LOVE chickpeas. I think this would be such a nice change for her. Thank you for this... sharing it right now!

    Reply
  5. Dishing Up The Dirt says

    October 02, 2013 at 6:15 pm

    Absolutely perfect sandwich. Love it.

    Reply
  6. Joanne (eats well with others) says

    October 02, 2013 at 7:11 pm

    I definitely go through periods when i come home from conferences of comparing myself to others...and it's really stupid and really sucks. I'm sorry you had to go through that! But, FYI. You are awesome.

    Reply
  7. Wenda says

    October 03, 2013 at 12:25 am

    How horribly familiar such a crisis is to me! Those short but fierce attacks of tears, desperation and wallowing. Not so much after conferences though, nor in the morning. But at the end of the day, and when I still don't know what to do with my life at 28. You are already so much braver for having created this space! I've learned a lot from you. My boyfriend, by the way, is véry happy with your blog too. 😉 Anyway, off to make a sandwich for lunch!

    Reply
  8. Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama} says

    October 03, 2013 at 4:58 am

    I am totally in love with this combination. I'm sorry you had to go through that little storm to get to this sandwich, but I'm sure glad you made it. If only I had blue cheese I'd be making it today! I guess I"ll have to wait until my next trip to the grocery store.

    Reply
  9. Julie says

    October 03, 2013 at 8:44 am

    I totally hear you on the work thing. I go through phases (and in fact, am in the midst of one now) when I question whether or not I can truly pull this whole "working for myself" thing off. It is big and scary and can be difficult to know where to start. But I think we are rock stars for doing it. As my husband pointed out, when most people go to work, they have set projects or tasks that they need to complete. But those of us who work at home? We have to find those projects ourselves, and set the tasks and schedule, and self-motivate. So high five to us for pursuing the work we love!

    Reply
  10. [email protected] says

    October 03, 2013 at 9:25 am

    I like the tang of yoghurt because I find blue cheese a bit rich when I eat it raw/uncooked. However this is such a lovely sandwich combo; fancy without being pretentious.

    Reply
  11. Maria Tadic says

    October 03, 2013 at 10:24 am

    I love this idea of a salad! As a vegetarian I kinda miss those lunchy type salads - but this is the perfect replacement!!! I will definitely be making this for lunches this weekend!

    Reply
  12. Grace @ Earthy Feast says

    October 03, 2013 at 1:20 pm

    I've made smashed chickpea sandwiches but not in this delicious dressed up way. I love everything about this - totally my kinda sandwich. And don't be so hard on yourself - you're amazing!

    Reply
  13. Lindsey | The Next Course says

    October 03, 2013 at 6:11 pm

    The idea of smashing checkpeas to approximate chicken salad blew my mind in the best way-- I can't wait to try this! Your work is incredible and never ceases to amaze me. I can't wait to follow along on this next phase for you 🙂

    Reply
  14. Julie says

    October 04, 2013 at 9:42 pm

    Erin, your blog is my favorite - the images are beautiful and simple, everything is easy to read, the recipes look wonderful, the tips are helpful...
    Your hard work is paying off - keep on keeping on.
    I'll be trying this sandwich soon - looks yummy : ]

    Reply
  15. Liz Keating says

    October 14, 2013 at 9:20 am

    Made this, and it's awesome. Love the cider vinegar and blue cheese. A+!

    Reply
  16. mary-catheryn baker says

    October 16, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    Just when I think "this is the recipe i wont like..." Your recipe bitch slaps me back into reality, reality being that everything you make is perfection. I told you a few months ago that everything I make is from your site. Im proud to say that my husband has been a full blown vegetarian now for 3 months thanks to your deliciousness. Please keep blogging forever! We love you and your meals 🙂

    Reply
  17. nco119 says

    October 29, 2013 at 9:32 am

    There used to be this really great place in Boston called The Otherside. They were forced to close about 2 years ago because the landlord wanted a higher profile tenant. I won't even start my little rant about that... The point is, they had this great mock chicken salad, and I haven't been able to find anything like it....until now. I made up a batch of this for lunch, adding a little buffalo sauce because the blue cheese was just asking for it (and because I'm a total addict!), it was amazing. Thank you!

    Reply
  18. nco119 says

    October 29, 2013 at 9:35 am

    There used to be this really great place in Boston called The OTHERside. They were forced to close a little over a year ago because the landlord wanted a higher profile tenant. I won't even start my little rant about that... The point is, they had this great mock chicken salad, and I haven't been able to find anything like it since....until now. I made up a batch of this for lunch, adding a little buffalo sauce because the blue cheese was just asking for it (and because I'm a total addict!), it was amazing. So, thank you!

    Reply
  19. pezhead says

    November 05, 2013 at 8:01 pm

    This looks amazing! My husband is vegetarian, but of the veggie burgers and grilled cheese variety. I am trying to expand his food universe and I think this may do the trick!

    Reply
  20. Catrina says

    February 25, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    Thanks for this great recipe idea! I don't like mayo and I always feel like chicken salad without it just isn't chicken salad but this is right up my alley 🙂 I'm not a fan of celery and didn't have any so I substituted with red onion and some cranberries (for that extra crunch and flavor) and it turned out awesome.

    Reply
  21. Pooja says

    May 29, 2014 at 2:17 am

    sorry to disagree but....my boyfriend spat this out when I made it for brunch. I followed the recipe exactly but apparently the blue cheese and mayo together is rather overwhelmingly pungent.

    Reply
    • erin says

      May 29, 2014 at 7:30 am

      Sorry to hear! I can imagine the flavor combo wouldn't be for everyone.

      Reply
  22. Kara says

    May 31, 2015 at 10:43 am

    I am not a fan of blue cheese...think this would work with feta or without cheese at all? I've never had a dish like this so I can't really imagine what it will taste like wth or without the feta!

    Reply
    • erin says

      June 01, 2015 at 8:01 am

      Hmm- feta might work. The blue cheese is definitely one of the main flavors but I imagine feta could work. If you try it- let me know!

      Reply
  23. Jen says

    June 11, 2015 at 4:44 am

    I made this salad this week and oh my-- so, so, so good! I used chopped raw pecans instead of sunflower seeds and all the flavors together were delicious. I had some last night for supper and wrapped some in a lettuce wrap. Definitely making this again. Love your site. Thank you.

    Reply
  24. Emily says

    June 18, 2015 at 11:40 am

    Thank you for your honesty in this post! I am an aspiring food blogger and feel so overwhelmed right now. Learning my new camera, understanding Lightroom and actually creating decent content! But, the words you shared above just shifted my attitude from "I can't do this." to "I am excited to start this new adventure!". Thank you for that. PS. Huge fan of your blog! : )

    Reply
  25. April says

    November 05, 2015 at 9:55 am

    I LOVE this recipe. I make it often and keep it in the fridge for lunches, a snack, whatever. I prefer to just eat mine with a fork, without bread, as it stands alone great. The best!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  26. Laura says

    November 04, 2016 at 3:09 pm

    So glad you pushed through that feeling to share an amazing sandwich! Can't wait to try it!!

    Reply
  27. Karen says

    August 26, 2017 at 1:58 pm

    'Comparison is the thief of joy'. Don't look back! Love your blog, it inspires me to cook!! Looking forward to trying this recipe, looks yummy ?

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

I'm Erin and this is my space for all things vegetarian food inspired by California and my love of cooking.


Get the latest issue of Casual.

Winter recipes

  • Roasted Chipotle Sweet Potato and Sorghum Salad
  • Adobo Acorn Squash, Crispy Quinoa, and Chimichurri
  • Roasted Sweet Potato Rice Paper Rolls with Spinach
  • Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Einkorn and Soy-Mustard Dressing

Subscribe for biweekly newsletters, new recipe emails, or a weekly recap of all new content.

subscribe

Popular recipes

  • Baked Cabbage and White Beans
  • Pasta and Chickpeas (Pasta e Ceci)
  • Spicy White Bean Stew with Arugula
  • Kabocha Ricotta Pancakes

Footer

↑ back to top

Resources

  • All Recipes
  • Component Cooking
  • Stock a Pantry
  • Produce Guides

Contact

  • Contact
  • Media Kit
  • Privacy Policy