QUICK Protein packed Lunch – Endless leftover options

This is such a simple recipe! Like most of what I make, this plant based meal can easily be modified to what you currently have in your fridge. I dare you to try.

This recipe is incredibly versatile, packed full of plant protein, fibre and essential fatty acids. It’s super yummy and wickedly quick to make. You can even pre make it and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s perfect for fast lunches, quick dinners and everything in between (no joke)

All you need is:

1 Can of Chickpeas

1 tbsp garlic  (or to taste)

4 tbsp hemp hearts  (ish)

1/2 lemon’s juice

2 tbsp olive oil  (or coconut, or hemp- whatevs)

1/2 Avocado

Green Onion – I did 2 stalks (add to taste- I also liked the added colour it gave 🙂

Dill (add to taste – I used Dried)

Chilli peppers (add to taste)

Salt + Pepper

Instructions

1. Open can of chickpeas, drain* and rinse well

*Don’t forget, you can keep the chickpea liquid or ‘aquafaba’ for later and use it as a vegan egg substitute.

2. Transfer chickpeas to a medium sized container or bowl

(I used a glass container that has the option of  a sealing lid so I could store it easily + less dishes)

3. Add Garlic, Hemp Hearts, Avocado and the lemon juice to the chickpeas

4. Using a fork- smash and break up and mix the ingredients until it resembles a tuna like texture- you can really leave it as chunky or as mashed as you’d like.

5. Add chopped up green onion and the remainder of ingredients and mix to incorporate.

DONE.

Now the fun part- what type of vessel would you like to put this mash on?

You can ALWAYS switch it up and make this recipe into something new and exciting. It’s just so versatile. Use it as a side dish, use it as a wrap filling, use it as a topping for a sweet potato, try it on top of portobello mushroom and bake it in the oven with some (vegan?) cheese on top. Mmmmm. Endless possibilities.

The first day, I was hankering for a sandwich (is that the saying? I don’t often eat sandwiches lol)

I *very* lightly buttered two slices of gluten free bread and then spread the mash onto a piece. I added cherry tomatoes and some lettuce and popped on the top. If you have a mini grill/ sandwich press- now’s the time to use it.

We use the grill/press linked in my previous blog post here: ‘THE MOST USEFUL KITCHEN GADGETS FOR PLANT BASED EATERS’

I love using my press- it makes a simple item into something hot, crunchy and gourmet 🙂

Reminder…you can store the remaining mash in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

The next lunch I made with this mash was a huge green salad bowl- one of my go to meals. The chickpea mash was so simple to throw on a bed of greens for a fast, tasty lunch packed full of nutrients. Having some pre made, ready to grab stuff in the fridge makes it so much quicker to assemble a hearty salad that will actually keep me full. I even used up other leftovers as well to build this bowl!

I had leftover tomato, red onion, basil and cucumber salad with balsamic dressing (and some feta cheese) to use up from the night before.

Tossed that with a bed of greens, drizzled some flax oil and added a little bit of balsamic dressing over it.

Scooped a big scoop of chickpea mash on top and then added some fresh pea sprouts, bee pollen and pumpkin seeds to finish it all off. This was such a YUM bowl!

I’d love to hear how you use this if you end up trying it out 🙂 ENJOY!

xx