Buffalo Chickpea Salad with Avocado Ranch Spread

I have been obsessed with Buffalo Sauce lately. I can't get enough. I also needed something that I could make at the beginning of the week for quick lunches during the week. I eat it on slices of bread, romaine lettuce leaves, gluten free tortillas, or even with crackers.

I can only handle a small amount of chickpeas at a time so I always want it to be worth it. I promise you, THIS is worth it. You could always use this recipe for tailgating or gameday eats! Pile it high between any kind of bread or roll, and you've got plant-based food that's safe to eat even after being unrefrigerated in the sun all afternoon.

Ingredients:

Buffalo Chickpea Salad:

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 20 minutes

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil

6 tbsp of Buffalo sauce (I like Frank's Red Hot)

1 - 19 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 rib of celery, finely chopped

Avocado Ranch Spread:

1 large avocado

1 tsp Ranch Seasoning

Juice of half a lemon

Salt to taste

Combine drained cashews, garlic, olive oil, and buffalo sauce in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy, pausing to scrape down the sides if necessary.

In a medium bowl, smash the chickpeas with the back of a fork or potato masher until about 50% smooshed. I like a chunkier salad for texture. Add green onions, chopped celery, and buffalo cashew sauce to the chickpeas and stir until combined.

In a smaller bowl, smash the avocado, ranch seasoning, lemon juice and salt together to form a spread.

Spread a gluten free slice of bread, lettuce leaf, tortilla or wrap with the Avocado Ranch Spread, and pile high with a thick layer of the Buffalo Chickpea Salad. Next, add toppings of your choice like shredded lettuce, tomato slices, sprouts, cucumber, red onion, or carrots and enjoy!