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Inspired by Leah Garrad-Cole’s new cookbook It All Begins With Food: From Baby’s First Foods to Wholesome Family Meals, we collected recipes designed for kids that the whole family can enjoy. This lunchtime recipe is full of protein and healthy greens that will fill your body with nutrients and give you plenty of energy to conquer the rest of your day.
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My kids both love tuna salad, but I have concerns about mercury levels and sustainability, so I wanted to come up with a safer option I could feel good about. This chickpea salad fits the bill and is a terrific source of vegetarian protein. Because it tastes so much like the tuna salad they’re used to, it’s really helped convince them that chickpeas are a reasonable thing to be eating! Prefer grains with your chickpea salad? Feel free to use sandwich bread or a wrap in place of the lettuce cups.
Chickpea Salad Lettuce Wraps
Serves 1-2 children
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked or canned chickpeas (sodium-free and from a BPA-free can), skins removed if you like
- 1/4 cup grated carrot
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. vegan (or regular) mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. finely diced celery
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped raw, unsalted cashews
- Pepper to taste
- Lettuce leaves
Directions
Put chickpeas in a medium-size bowl. Use a fork to mash them until they’re just broken up. It’s better not to use a food processor for this, because it destroys too much of the texture. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the lettuce leaves, and mix well to combine. Spoon this filling into the lettuce leaves and roll up to serve.
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