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Spicy Almond Chickpea Salad Sliders

I love to be sneaky and trick people who usually shy away from anything labeled 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' into eating exactly those kinds of things and then watching their reactions of surprise and delight.

This is a GREAT recipe for that purpose. 

I served these at our Christmas party this year, and we did not have any leftovers. I forgot to put out cards that said what each dish was, so some of our guests were surprised to learn that they were meatless. (mu ah ah ah!!) 

If I had to pick out my favorite thing about these little guys, other than the fact that they are FANTASTICALLY DELICIOUS, it would have to be the crunch factor. I mean the spicy smokey almonds themselves make quite a tasty snack, but then pair them with celery, and you've got a winner! I modified the amount of liquid smoke in these, and added a bit of pepper to spice them up! 

If I had to pick out a second favorite thing about these, other than they will keep you full for a long time, it would be that they make fabulous leftovers!! 

Two tips in case you have any left overs, 1) almonds may get a little bit soft, so you could wait to add them until you're ready to eat and 2) drizzle a little bit of lemon juice over mixture to prevent avocado from darkening, or you can also wait to add these until right before you're ready to eat. 

I would like to thank Thug Kitchen for bringing me this recipe and for creating the most hilarious/delicious/most approachable cookbook ever! 

You should probably plan to make these this weekend, or maybe even Sunday night so you have a delicious lunch to take to work with you on Monday! Let me know how they turn out by leaving me a comment below! Post a photo of them on Instagram, tag me @corrielanderson, and use #itsallofit so I can see your beautiful creation! 

SPICY ALMOND CHICKPEA SALAD SLIDERS

Recipe Author: Thug Kitchen (slightly adapted by Corrie Anderson)

Serves: 3 – 4 people

INGREDIENTS

QUICK SPICY ALMONDS

  • 1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke (optional)

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup

  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 teaspoon harissa

  • 1 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • freshly ground black pepper

  • kosher salt

  • ¾ cup raw almonds

CHICKPEA SALAD

  • 2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed

  • 1 avocado

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • ½ cup chopped red onion (about ½ a medium sized onion)

  • 1/3 cup chopped celery (about 3 celery ribs)

  • 1 - 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (optional)

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 – 2 teaspoons hot sauce

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 6 - 7 slider buns

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. To make the almonds:

    • Mix all the liquid ingredients together in one bowl

    • Combine all the dry ingredients (nutritional yeast, in a different small bowl

  3. Add the almonds to the bowl with the liquid ingredients and make sure they all get fully covered. Then, scoop them out and put them in the bowl with the dry seasonings. Stir them around until they are all fully covered, and then spread them out on the baking sheet. Toast them in the oven for 8 minutes, stir them around, and toast them for another 4 – 5 minutes. Take them out and let them cool.

  4. While the almonds are toasting, add the chickpeas to a food processor and pulse four to five times (no more than that!!) OR add to a bowl and mash with a fork! Add lemon juice, mustard, hot sauce, parsley, and avocado, pulse a couple more times/keep mashing. Add mixture to a bowl and then fold in the celery, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper.

  5. Once the almonds have cooled, chop them up and add them to the chickpea mixture. If you’re serving all of the mix at once, add all of the almonds. This will keep in the fridge for 2 – 3 days, but the almonds might get chewy, so you could keep save some almonds in a separate container to add later.

  6. Serve with mini slider buns or toasted bread. Add mustard, lettuce, and tomato (if they’re in season) or any other delightful sandwich accouterments you might desire!