Vegan Cherry Chickpea Wrap (Gluten-free)

Finally. I got some things checked off the to-do list last weekend. Stuff like transitioning Hubs’ old office into a dedicated photo studio/prop room. Hubs’ office is now a small dresser—LOL. Whatever.

He barely used it. This room now has a freshly painted table, two bookshelves full of props (plates, linens, utensils, etc), and various photo equipment. There are a lot of windows, so it’s perfect for using natural light in my food photos. Maybe I’ll snap some pics of it one of these days and share.

So, about this vegan, gluten-free Cherry Chickpea Wrap. This is a dead ringer for chicken salad. I swear, is there anything chickpeas can’t do?

This is a perfect summertime meal. A cool, crunchy, creamy wrap that requires minimal effort and zero cooking. You can even take a shortcut and use vegan mayo instead of making the cashew dressing.

Dress it up with any extras you like—lettuce, avocado, sprouts, tomato, pickles, onions, you name it. It’s great in a lettuce wrap or served on crackers, too. Or you can do what I do—eat it straight out of the bowl.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—my Vitamix is one of the best investments I’ve ever made. (In case you’re in the market for one, get free shipping via this link.) I use it daily, often more than once a day. It makes tasks like whipping up this cashew dressing a breeze.

And oh my gosh, don’t even get me started on using it to make peanut butter. My latest creation was coconut-maple-peanut butter. Die. Toss a spoonful in your morning smoothie and you’ve got one tasty breakfast. Wait, what were we talking about? Oh yes, the Cherry Chickpea Wrap. Back to that.

Well, what’s left to say? Go soak some cashews and get this party started.

p.s. I submitted this recipe to the Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck.

Vegan Cherry Chickpea Wrap (Gluten-free)

Recipe Type: Wrap, Salad, Sandwich
Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free, American
Serves: 6

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients*:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water** and drained
• 1/4 cup water (do not use the soaking water from the cashews)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning (or black pepper will do)
• 3 Tbsp finely chopped chives

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 large gluten-free wraps (or large lettuce leaves)
• Optional extras
• lettuce, sprouts, avocado, tomato, onion, pickles

Instructions

1. To make the dressing, add all of the dressing ingredients except the chives to a high-speed blender; blend until smooth and creamy. Depending on your blender, you may need to add more water if dressing is too thick. Scrape dressing into small bowl. Add chives; stir until incorporated. Set aside.
2. Add chickpeas to a large bowl and partially mash with a fork or masher, leaving some whole pieces.
3. Add celery, cherries, walnuts and 1/2 cup of the dressing to the chickpeas; stir to combine. Add more dressing until desired consistency is reached (I used 3/4 cup total). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Scoop 3/4 cup of the salad mixture onto each wrap or lettuce leaf. Add optional extras, roll, and serve.

Notes

*For a shortcut, use vegan mayo instead of the cashew dressing.

**If you have a Vitamix or other high-powered blender, you can get away with soaking the cashews for as little as 1 hour. Otherwise, overnight to 24 hours is preferable.

***Store any leftover dressing in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. It’s great on burgers, sandwiches, wraps—basically anywhere you would use mayo.