One of the things that I miss most as a vegetarian are sandwich "spreads" - chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad - OK, I don't really like egg salad, but you get the idea. I love spreads because they are easy to make, filling, and budget-friendly. Long ago I found a recipe for a mock tuna that I have loved and tweaked over the past decade or so. I'll give you the basics here (I rarely do much precise measuring when I cook) and you can adjust it to your tastes. There are a couple of key ingredients that you just can't guess your way to, and beyond that, mock tuna salad is what you make it.

Ingredients

• Garbanzo beans


• Carrot


• Onion


• Celery


• Pickles


• Mayonnaise or vegan substitute


• Mustard


• Kelp powder


• Grapeseed oil (you can substitute olive oil if you don't have this)


• Lemon juice (Fresh is best)


• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Cook a couple of cups of garbanzo beans. I usually cook them the night before, and prepare enough for one batch of mock tuna and enough to freeze for a different meal of mock tuna or hummus or some other garbonzo-bean treat. Or you can open a can of garbanzo beans - Eden Organics doesn't use BPA in the lining of their bean cans.

Rinse and drain the beans and put them in a large bowl. Mash, leaving some pieces. I use a combination of a potato masher and a Bosch Mixxo stick blender to mash them - I like that the stick blender makes them a little creamy, but switch to a masher midway through so I can maintain some chunkiness.

Dice a carrot, 1/2 an onion, a couple of sticks of celery and a pickle or two. Mix those with the smashed garbanzo beans along with your favorite tuna or chicken salad dressings. For my mock tuna I like Veganaise and a little yellow mustard.

Generously add kelp powder to taste. Kelp powder will give it a slight "ocean" flavor but not enough to taste really fishy. Add a bit of grapeseed oil and lemon juice to give it a bit of moisture but not much of these. Mix well and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve cold on bread or as a dip for crackers or veggies.