A meat-free midday meal that hits no matter where you take your lunch break.
Whether you commute to the office or work at home, you’ll probably agree with me when I say that lunch is the trickiest meal of the day—especially now that summer is over and we’ve been thrown back into the school/work weekly grind. I literally cook at home for work all day long, and I still find it hard to fit in a midday meal. To cut down on my chances of getting hangry by 4 p.m., I try to prep a few key components in advance that make it easier to throw together a nutritious lunch, like this super-green herby chickpea salad. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days and takes almost no time to tumble into a ciabatta bun along with some fresh veggies and avocado for a quick and satisfying sandwich.
Chickpea salad sandwiches have become popular in the last few years, and it makes sense as to why: the legumes make a fabulous protein-rich, plant-based swap for meat or fish, plus they’re great at soaking up flavor. That said, starchy chickpeas taste best with assertive seasoning and a good amount of fat. This salad features a punchy, creamy dressing made by blending avocado and rich, eggy Kewpie mayo in a food processor with a large handful of herbs (parsley, cilantro, and mint), grated garlic, and lime. (Yes, it’ll work with any mayo, but I think Kewpie’s all-yolk richness is singular.) Once smooth, the punchy, gleefully green dressing is folded into mashed chickpeas along with some sliced green onions for a hint of crunch.
I serve my chickpea salad on ciabatta burger buns from my local bakery, which have a thin, crispy crust with a soft, pillowy interior. Bolillo rolls (which are used to make Mexican tortas) or a banh mi–style baguette would also work nicely. I like to slather both sides with mayo, then layer on lettuce, avocado, cucumber, and thinly sliced jalapeño before adding a big scoop of the green chickpea salad. With the salad prepped in my fridge, I’m only ever minutes away from a fresh and filling sandwich (sometimes I’ll even slice the veggies in advance, too). When I’m packing this sandwich for a lunch on the go, I’ll add avocado slices directly to both sides of the bread and give them a light mash before adding the other fixings. This layer of avocado creates a barrier that keeps the bread from getting soggy—meaning this sandwich tastes just as good out of a lunchbox as it does at your own kitchen table.