Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Salad Sandwich

I'm back from my blogging hiatus.  It wasn't intentional I can assure you. You see, not many people get diagnosed with pneumonia and rushed to the ER for a kidney stone attack all in the same week. But that's how I roll. I've heard about how painful kidney stones can be but never in a million years did I think I would ever get one. It really never crossed my mind.

For almost two weeks prior, I was in bed with a fever, debilitating cough (that turned out to be pneumonia) and a bad case of laryngitis.  I was up all night, every night, coughing for days on end.  Combine that with seasonal allergies and I was miserable to say the least.  The fatigue was so severe, I seriously didn't know how I'd get out of bed in the morning, never mind take care of the kids, dogs or the house. Cook? Forget that!

Subsequently, last Sunday morning, I woke with the most horrifying pain I've had since giving birth.  I suspected it might be a kidney stone based on the level of pain I was in.  Turns out that's exactly what it was.  They told me it could take days or even weeks to pass.  NO!!  I seriously thought I'd die.

I'm going to spare you any further details, since this IS a food blog after all.  Let's just say I survived (barely).   After 3 weeks of lying around sick like a dog, I was so longing to be back to my normal, crazy routine.  I'm getting there.

Now on to this sandwich.  Boy, did I miss my kitchen and real food!

I got the idea for this recipe on a recent visit to St. Kitts and Nevis over spring break.  I was drooling over the smell of the jerk seasoning ( a blend of spices that can include allspice, nutmeg, thyme, cinnamon, garlic, coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper) but it's often on meat-based dishes.

I wondered... how could I get those flavors into a vegetarian dish?  I came up with an idea that combines the spices and sweetness of the Caribbean in a delectable smashed chickpea sandwich!

To the chickpeas I added sweet freshly diced pineapples, shredded carrots and chopped raisins which compliments the spices so nicely.

You can throw this recipe together in minutes for a quick lunch or snack.  You can eat the salad by itself, in lettuce cups or in a sandwich form.  If you do decide to make a sandwich, make sure you get some really fresh whole or multi-grain bread.  It does make a difference in the level of quality and taste.

Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Donna Castellano MS, RDN

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 15 oz. carton/can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• ½ fresh pineapple diced
• ¼ chopped rainsins
• ¼ cup shredded carrots
• 1 and a ½ tablespoons mayo use vegan mayo if making this a vegan option
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• pinch cayenne pepper or more depending on level of spice you'd like
• sprinkle of some freshly grated nutmeg
• favorite salad greens for topping sandwich

Instructions

 

• Combine all ingredients (except salad greens) in a medium sized mixing bowl.
• Using a fork, smash chickpeas (and other ingredients) together until about half of the chickpeas are broken down.
• Spoon onto fresh whole grain bread and top with fresh greens.

Tried this recipe?Mention @spoonfulofplants or tag #spoonfulofplants!