Happy January everyone!  I know I’m a little late, we’ve already had a week of 2015,  a few inches of snow, and subzero temperatures…  Better late than never!  New Years gets a bad rap for the ubiquitous “new year, new me” posts all over social media and grocery stores and television ads, but it really is a great time to start fresh.  I have decided to commit to Veganuary and try the vegan lifestyle this month! It’s not too late for you to commit too!  Veganuary’s site has a ton of awesome resources and great reasons to go vegan.  Whether you are vegan, have been thinking about trying it, want to lose a little weight this year, or enjoy a steak every evening, I think you’ll love this Chickpea Salad.

Slide the bar in the picture above and check out how easy it is to take chickpeas from round legumes to a flaky base ready for a creamy, dreamy dressing!

I wanted to call this “Chickless Salad” but I couldn’t bring myself to succumb to the cheesy vegan misnomer.  This isn’t chicken salad.  It’s not egg salad. It’s not tuna salad.  It is delicious.  Basically, I took your average everyday chicken salad dressing and subbed in chickpeas.  I expected to like this recipe and take it for lunch this week. I expected it to be a silly vegan idea to try for fun. I didn’t expect to eat almost the entire batch in one day.  So much for new year, new me…. This was soooo good.  Like delicious, I’m going to make it every week, I’ll eat this way past January good.  I love the crunch of the fresh veggies in contrast to the creamy dressing.  Maybe it’s because I haven’t had chicken salad in 15 years or so, but is this what lunch dreams are made of?  I’m thinking yes.

If you aren’t vegan and don’t want to buy a separate vegan mayo, just use regular!  Or try subbing in a super creamy hummus.  I use Veganaise but am also a fan of the Hampton Creek Just Mayo brand, both can be found in almost any grocery store.  Seriously, vegan or not this is SO yummy you have to give it a try!  It’s a light, refreshing crunch to wake up the cold month lunch monotony.  It’s great on a sandwich, in a wrap, topping a mixed green salad, or straight from the bowl with a spoon if you have no self control like me.  Enjoy! Stay warm friends!