Mashed Chickpea Salad With Roasted Tomatoes And Avocado

Mashed chickpeas makes everything all right, especially with tomatoes and avocado.

Last Saturday, I had such a horrid moment, having missed my Greyhound bus to New York City to attend the Sixth Annual Black Comic Con at Schomburg Center for Black Research. I had in mind to see Toyin Ojin Odujah's latest works at the Whitney Museum, visit the Studio Museum of Harlem in its current space for the last time, and eat at Beyond Sushi.

At Mom's Organic Market, they sell roasted tomatoes by the pound.

I left the Greyhound Station miserably. There were no other morning tickets. Well, quite honestly, I didn't want to spend another twenty dollars on a ticket, then spend more money on getting a new NYC MetroCard, and plus spend more on comic books and food-- this would be breaking the budget set for myself.
Thankfully, Mom's Organic Market was near the sad, pathetic walk down the street, dismayed by my tardiness. At the grocery store, I picked up chocolate, chips, and roasted tomatoes-- comfort food and ingredients to make comfort food.
One of my primary goals for the year is to lower my soy intake and chickpeas are a grand replacement for the things that I love-- tofu scramble, "cold cut" tofu sandwiches, and tofu ricotta. I probably can't make chickpea into cold cuts or ricotta just yet, but I've been perfecting the chickpea scramble and this salad is a cold version of my usual recipe. All the ingredients come together so beautifully despite the simple ingredients and blending-- great in a sandwich or as a stand alone. 

Mashed Chickpea Salad With Roasted Tomatoes And Avocado Ingredients and Preparation

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly
3 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup roasted tomatoes
1 avocado, ripened

Pulse chickpeas, water, cumin, turmeric, salt, onion powder, and crushed red pepper together in food processor or blender. Make sure it's at a creamy yet chunky texture-- do not make hummus.
Mix in red roasted tomatoes. Serve at room temperature with avocado.

Salad is also good with a few slices of Dave's Killer Bread in Thin Sliced Good Seed.

Very colorful, pretty, simple, and scrumptious.

The perfect yum after a trying day.