This chickpea salad sandwich filling is great to make ahead and eat throughout the week with fresh toast, and even works well as a car food! This past Halloween, Alex and went on an impromptu road trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I threw a Tupperware of this and a loaf of bread into our cooler before we set off. It made for a delicious post-hike picnic lunch even without the fixings, and having a homemade meal on-hand helped the already awesome day feel even more special.

The creamy, crunchy texture of this chickpea salad sandwich the perfect cool lunch for a hot day, whether that be picnicking in the park or going on a hike . It’s one of my favorite summer foods, packing a crisp protein punch to fuel you through the afternoon. Chickpea salad sandwiches also pair great with your favorite cold beer or a glass of chilled ice tea. Yum!

For another picnic-friendly recipe, check out my onigiri rice balls snack, which I will be updating soon with a sautéed tahini shiitake mushroom filling!

This recipe makes 4 sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chickpeas
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup celery, diced
• 1/3 cup carrot, diced
• 1/3 cup bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 2 tbsp spicy mustard
• 1 tbsp Frank’s buffalo sauce (or hot sauce of your choice)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup lettuce
• 1/2 cup tomato, sliced
• 8 slices bread, toasted with butter

Directions:

1. Smash chickpeas with a fork or potato masher until largely broken up with some whole or “chunky” chickpeas remaining for texture.
2. Finely dice celery, carrot, bell pepper, and red onion.
3. Add chickpeas, mayonnaise, celery, carrot, onion, bell pepper, mustard, lemon juice, buffalo sauce, and spices (dill, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper). Mix thoroughly until everything is incorporated. Store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. Toast bread with butter. Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Assemble sandwiches with “tuna” salad, lettuce, and salted tomatoes.

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Chickpea No-Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 cups chickpeas
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup celery diced
• 1/3 cup carrot diced
• 1/3 cup bell pepper diced
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 2 tbsp spicy mustard
• 1 tbsp Frank’s buffalo sauce or hot sauce of your choice
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp reserved
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup lettuce
• 1/2 cup tomato sliced
• 8 slices bread toasted with butter

Instructions

• Smash chickpeas with a fork or potato masher until largely broken up with some whole or “chunky” chickpeas remaining for texture.
• Finely dice celery, carrot, bell pepper, and red onion.
• Add chickpeas, mayonnaise, celery, carrot, onion, bell pepper, mustard, lemon juice, buffalo sauce, and spices (dill, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper). Mix thoroughly until everything is incorporated. Store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
• Toast bread with butter. Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Assemble sandwiches with “tuna” salad, lettuce, and salted tomatoes.

The post Chickpea No-Tuna Salad Sandwich appeared first on I Forgot Salt!.

Improper jambalaya has been a quick-dinner and last-minute-lunch staple in our little apartment for the past few months. Nothing more than a pot of rice boiled with shrimp, bell peppers, and Cajun seasoning, it’s the perfect thirty-minute meal for the times when no one feels like cooking. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to have the real thing. My family has deep roots in the deeper South–my mother having been born and raised in Alabama and my father in Tennessee–and the rich flavors of Cajun cuisine from southwest Louisiana are something of a comfort. While most of the food I typically prepare takes inspiration from the Asian continent, perhaps in an attempt to establish my own culinary identity away from typical down-home cooking, there’s something magical about exploring your roots through the lens of a hobby you truly love.

Although classic jambalaya is not a dish we consistently ate as a family, the spirit of the meal brings up memories of eating breakfast for dinner and dancing around the basement adorned in purple, gold, and green as we watched the Mardi Gras parade on television. Of running through the front yard of my grandparents’ home in Huntsville, Alabama with my cousins, trying to catch fireflies and butterflies with plastic children’s nets from Harbor Freight, and those afternoons which inevitably devolved into us hurling shelled pecans from their tree at one another. Of long car rides through the Smoky Mountains spent playing Pokemon with my brother on our Nintendo Gameboys or trying to keep up a Yu-Gi-Oh game in spite of the bumpy roads, completely unaware that these moments would be some of my most enduring memories.

Quick and dirty jambalaya aside, I decided to take the free time afforded by my few days between finals and the holidays to cook a few things that I’d been meaning to for quite some time. One of those, of course, being something much closer to a traditional jambalaya. Contrary to popular belief, tomatoes are not typically included in the Cajun version of the dish–aptly named “brown jambalaya” for the excessive fond that builds up as a result of deeply browning smoked meats in the bottom of the pot or pan–and the spices are richer and more multi-dimensional than strictly “hot”. In this particular recipe, I substituted bacon for the more traditional chicken because I love the depth of flavor it brings to the dish… and because I forgot to thaw a bag of thighs.

This recipe makes six servings.

Ingredients:

• 15-20 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2-4 Andouille sausage links
• 4-6 slices bacon, thick-cut
• 3-4 stalks celery
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp jalapenos, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp light oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Finely chop celery stalks, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and jalapenos. Combine with minced garlic and set aside.
2. In a large high-walled skillet or pot, add light oil and heat on medium high. When oil has begun to sizzle, add sausage links and bacon, frying until crisp and golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add shrimp one at a time to the still-hot pan, dabbing off extra oil with a paper towel as necessary (Note: do not try to scrape off those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan!). Fry for 2-3 minutes each, flipping halfway through. When fully cooked, remove and set aside.
4. Add vegetable mixture and all spices (paprika, parsley, basil, oregano, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, and cayenne) to the still hot pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to release some of the fond as liquid is released from the vegetables. (Note: You are essentially deglazing the pan with the moisture from the vegetables, capturing all of that flavor.)
5. Stir-fry for 5-7 minutes or until most of the fond has been released from the bottom of the pan, then add chicken brown and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low. Return bacon and sausage to the pan, and add uncooked rice, mixing to combine. (Note: Make sure that the uncooked rice is completely submerged in liquid by about 1/2 inch.)
6. Cover pan and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that there is no burning on the bottom.
7. When finished cooking, fluff rice and add lemon juice and shrimp, mixing to combine. Serve topped with red pepper flakes, cilantro, additional lemon juice, or chopped green onions.

This recipe reheats beautifully in the microwave, shrimp and all. We’ve actually been eating the leftovers for the past few days! Kept in an air-tight container in the fridge, it should last for up to a week–but you’ll likely each it all long before then!

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Sausage, Bacon, and Shrimp Jambalaya

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 361kcal

Ingredients

• 15-20 shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2-4 Andouille sausage links
• 4-6 slices bacon thick-cut
• 3-4 celery stalks
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp jalapenos diced
• 1 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 tbsp light oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Finely chop celery stalks, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and jalapenos. Combine with minced garlic and set aside.
• In a large high-walled skillet or pot, add light oil and heat on medium high. When oil has begun to sizzle, add sausage links and bacon, frying until crisp and golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add shrimp one at a time to the still-hot pan, dabbing off extra oil with a paper towel as necessary*. Fry for 2-3 minutes each, flipping halfway through. When fully cooked, remove and set aside.
• Add vegetable mixture and all spices (paprika, parsley, basil, oregano, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, and cayenne) to the still hot pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to release some of the fond as liquid is released from the vegetables**.
• Stir-fry for 5-7 minutes or until most of the fond has been released from the bottom of the pan, then add chicken brown and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low. Return bacon and sausage to the pan, and add uncooked rice, mixing to combine***.
• Cover pan and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that there is no burning on the bottom.
• When finished cooking, fluff rice and add lemon juice and shrimp, mixing to combine. Serve topped with red pepper flakes, cilantro, additional lemon juice, or chopped green onions.

Notes

• *Do not try to scrape off those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan!
• **You are essentially deglazing the pan with the moisture from the vegetables, capturing all of that flavor.
• ***Make sure that the uncooked rice is completely submerged in liquid by about 1/2 inch.

The post Sausage, Bacon, and Shrimp Jambalaya appeared first on I Forgot Salt!.

Okay, so–this past week has been less than ideal. I was up late Monday night studying for my psychology midterm, and when I got home from the exam on Tuesday evening (at ten o’clock; you’ve got to love night classes!) Alex had a fever of almost 101F. Yikes! He stayed home on Wednesday and seems to be doing better, but when one of us gets sick the other inevitably follows… so that brings us to today, Friday, and I have called out of work dying, myself. A blight has fallen upon our house and it seems inescapable. The only thing anyone here wants to do is nap, play video games, and eat soup, so that’s exactly what’s happened. At least I had the foresight to make six quarts of chicken noodle stew before Plague rode in on his apocalyptic pony and drop-kicked me in the head.

This recipe makes 10-12 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 package (about 12oz) egg noodles
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 yellow onion
• 4 large carrots
• 10 large stalks celery
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 ½ tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp chili oil (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel and dice the yellow onion and add to a large stock pot with minced garlic and minced ginger. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion has softened and become translucent.
2. Meanwhile, dice your carrots and celery into small, bite-sized pieces. 
3. Add diced carrots and celery to the stock pot with thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, basil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Mix to distribute spices, cover, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables have brightened in color and the spices have become fragrant. 
4. Add chicken broth and water to the pot, stirring gently. Add chicken breasts and submerge completely. Raise the heat to medium-high, cover, and boil for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.
5. When finished, remove chicken breasts and add dried noodles. Boil noodles for 8 minutes. 
6. Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the chicken breasts. 
7. Remove the pot from the heat and add shredded chicken back into the soup. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Add or serve with chili oil if desired. 

This recipe keeps for a week in the fridge, and reheats well either re-boiled with additional water/broth or in the microwave. I called it “health bomb” because apparently garlic is good for the immune system, ginger is good for the stomach, lemon is good for the throat, and chili oil is good for the sinuses… and we need all the help we can get in our house this week. 

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Health Bomb Chicken Noodle Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 package egg noodles about 12oz
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 yellow onion
• 4 large carrots
• 10 large stalks celery
• 1 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 tbsp ginger minced
• 1 ½ tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp chili oil optional

Instructions

• Peel and dice the yellow onion and add to a large stock pot with minced garlic and minced ginger. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion has softened and become translucent.
• Meanwhile, dice your carrots and celery into small, bite-sized pieces.
• Add diced carrots and celery to the stock pot with thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, basil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Mix to distribute spices, cover, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables have brightened in color and the spices have become fragrant.
• Add chicken broth and water to the pot, stirring gently. Add chicken breasts and submerge completely. Raise the heat to medium-high, cover, and boil for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.
• When finished, remove chicken breasts and add dried noodles. Boil noodles for 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the chicken breasts.
• Remove the pot from the heat and add shredded chicken back into the soup. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Add or serve with chili oil if desired.

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