Vegan Cranberry Apple Chickpea Salad

I’m excited to share this new recipe with all of you! Today I’m going vegan for the day as part of a group of bloggers participating in #Veganuary. A vegan recipe is something that is made with no animal products – which includes meat/fish, dairy, and eggs.

I was a little out of my comfort zone as I do a lot of my cooking and baking with meat, dairy and eggs … but getting outside of your comfort zone every once in a while is good. I recently completed a food sensitivity test, which confirmed that I have issues with dairy. It also revealed that I may have a high sensitivity to lentils, which made it a slightly more difficult to decide on a recipe. Everything that I wanted to try had lentils, so instead of having an upset stomach, I decided to go with a recipe that made with chickpeas. I am so happy I decided to give this chickpea salad recipe a try. It was amazing! I had to go to a couple of grocery stores to find plain non-dairy yogurt. The one I frequent only had fruit and vanilla flavored ones.

I loved the crunch the celery and apples gave it. The dressing was tangy and creamy. The sweetness from the cranberries was just perfect. I served it on whole wheat pita, but you could easily swap it out for bread or just on a bed of lettuce.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the other recipes being shared today! Check them out below.

3 cups chickpeas (I used 2 cans – rinsed and drained)
1 large celery rib, diced
1/2 cup diced apple
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped pecans (other nuts would work perfectly well too)
5.3 oz plain, non-dairy yogurt
1-2 tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, onion powder, salt and black pepper. Set aside until ready to use. Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl. Smash with a fork until most of the chickpeas are broken and smashed. Season with a dash of salt.

To the bowl, add in the celery, apples, cranberries and pecans. Stir to combine. Pour the dressing over top and mix until completely coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve on your favorite bread, pita or over a bed of lettuce. Add any additional toppings if desired.

Check out all the other recipes that are part of today’s #veganuary.

Vegan Recipes for #Veganuary