Raw Chickpea & Avocado Salad

A beautiful melody of chickpeas, avocados, and pretty seasonings.

Finishing up MFA and summer fellowship/residency applications for the week. Although I am hopeful, I won't be too upset if rejections fill my mailbox. I love Philadelphia. This is a wonderful place to rest my head. Yes. There is snow and ice and chill. It is winter. I expected more. The promise blossoming inside the big city is realer than ever imagined. I simply have no plans to leave even if not accepted anywhere. The art, the culture, the buses/trains, the history, (and of course the food!) make it impossible not to. Plus, I love going to NYC on the cheap. Perhaps I should just move there. After I hit the lottery.
I love the studio- school is my second home (which I'll miss immensely if not accepted for another two good years) and the kitchen is my favorite place in the house. 
Today's recipe combines two delicious ingredients- chickpeas ad avocado! In a simple way that involves no heat whatsoever? Just some smashing here and there. This chickpea and avocado salad is a delicious concoction capturing very smooth components into chunky decadent texture. Red onion pieces and this beautiful little jar of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute (which contains components like celery seed, marjoram, basil, bay leaf, lemon peel, etc) makes for a flavorful salad. I highly recommend it. At $1.99, it's a steal for the spice cabinet! For extra texture add walnuts, carrots, or chopped celery. Yum.

Raw Chickpea & Avocado Salad Ingredients and Preparation

1 16 oz chickpeas
1 avocado, ripened and sliced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped finely
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Mash or puree chickpeas in a blender or food processor.
Blend in remaining ingredients.
Serve.

One heck of a perfectly composed, simple-to-make dish.

Great alone or between two slices of bread or a cracker topper.

A lovely closeup of yum.