Hello hello – it’s been a while!
I hope you’ll excuse my absence. {Insert sheepish face here.} Sometimes the summer weather just ruins all your cookin’ plans, ya know? Like, you really wanted to roast pans upon pans of veggies, then you realized that you could probably roast them on the sidewalk because it is SO HOT OUT and you have no business adding to that heat by turning on the oven. So instead you order a glass of sauvignon blanc on a restaurant patio and leave all those veggies hangin.
I hope I’m not the only one who has been slacking on the cooking front to enjoy the summer weather. It is so worth it! Those roasted veggies can SO wait til fall… and in the meantime, that bottle of white wine is calling your name. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I’m encouraging it with quick and easy meals like this!
We’ve been obsessed with vegan Caesar dressing since I first made it this spring. I love any excuse to use it, and these chickpea wraps are my newest favorite. I created them one night when I wanted something salad-esque, but didn’t want to do a lot of chopping. Have you ever started to make a salad, thinking you’d have dinner in 5 minutes, and 20 minutes later you were still peeling and chopping? I didn’t want that. So I made this the ultimate lazy summer meal: blend up the dressing, open a can of chickpeas, and ta-da! Dinner in five minutes flat, and definitely no oven required.
Well, OK, I did add some onions and avocado, so there’s a little bit of chopping. But these wraps are pretty beautiful in their simplicity.
Let’s be honest, I get a kick out of subbing chickpeas for chicken, purely because of the similarity in name. I love the little mental double-take that recipe names like “chickpea Caesar salad” and “chickpea salad sandwich” make you do. Tell me I’m not alone? It makes me giggle. Aaaand that’s how I know I’ve forever crossed the line into food blogging dorkdom.
Make sure you enjoy these chickpea wraps with people you know well… they can get a bit messy! Plenty of napkins – and a fork to bat clean-up – are definitely necessary.
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- 1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- sprinkle of cayenne
- kosher salt
- 1-2 Tbsp water
- 14-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 Tbsp thinly sliced red onion
- leaves of Romaine lettuce
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- Make the dressing by blending all ingredients together, starting with 1 Tbsp of water and no salt. The dressing should be thick. If extra water is necessary, add a tiny bit at a time. Salt to taste.
- In a bowl, stir together the chickpeas, dressing, and red onion.
- To serve, spoon the chickpea salad onto the lettuce leaves. Top with a few slices of avocado. Have plenty of napkins on hand! Enjoy.
You’re definitely not the only one slacking on making dinner. When it’s hot i’d rather do anything than be in the kitchen. These look like a tasty way to minimize kitchen time!
I love that your Caesar dressing doesn’t contain anchovies!! These sound deeelicious. I might be a tad bit obsessed with chickpeas though ;)
I am also a chickpea fanatic… I think it’s a requirement for being veggie :)
Hey, I’m right there with you in food blogging dorkdom! I think a meat eater is much more likely to try something that closely resembles the word chicken too.
We went out to eat at a vegan place this weekend and they have chickpea tuna salad but they call it mock tuna salad. Then as we were sitting outside eating, two girls walked inside to read the menu and then walked back out laughing saying (loudly) that mock tuna sounds disgusting. I thought they were being rude but I can see how the name would be a turn-off.
Anywho, these look so easy and tasty! I love anything that gives me more time to hang out and drink sauvignon blanc.
“Mock” anything sounds like fake meat to me – not a fan! If I know it’s chickpeas, I’m good :)
I love chickpeas!! Once upon a time my first blog was named after my favourite legume :)
This dish looks perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner and I’m super excited about trying a vegan caesar salad dressing! I haven’t had anything caesar-ish since I turned veggie nearly 4 years ago! thanks for sharing :)
You’ll have to let me know what you think about the vegan caesar! We are in love with it!
I hear ya sister, I haven’t exactly been in the cooking mood lately, either. And a glass of sauv blanc on a restaurant patio sounds amazing to me! These cesar wraps look so good! So quick to put together, so fresh, and healthy! Love them and need them with a glass of vino!
I can so relate! I have such a hard time cooking when it’s super hot out! These wraps look so lovely and refreshing though. Thank you for sharing them!
Screw cooking when you can whip up a huge batch of vegan caesar dressing and eat delicious wraps like this!!! Love everything going on here. Enjoy the crisp wine too. Cheers!
I know what you mean. I’ve grilled even under the rain to avoid turning the stove on and turning the house into an oven!
That is dedication! :)
Been playing hookey in our kitchen too – its so hot and i’d rather lounge about in the sun like a cat.
These look great… anytime you can use lettuce as a wrap or cup, I’m all over it!