This blog post was written in partnership with OXO.
I recently had a conversation with a friend about the kitchen tools one should pack when spending a week at a vacation rental. I went through my standard list – a couple sharp knives, a good peeler, a rasp-style zester, a big cutting board, olive oil and vinegar, flaky sea salt (a must for corn on the cob), pre-ground coffee, peanut butter, and homemade jam.
She was on board with everything I listed, but when I got to the end, she turned to me and asked, “What do you think about bringing a food processor?”
I told her that she was nuts. Vacation cooking is about simplicity. Food in the summer is so gorgeous that you don’t have to do much to it to make it amazing. Sadly, she was not entirely convinced (I believe she had things like fresh pesto and pureed homemade salsas in mind).
This post is written in partnership with OXO.
However, had I known about the One Stop Chop from OXO before I had this conversation, I would have heartily suggested that she consider bringing it. It’s the perfect tool those moments when you’ve got a lot of chopping to do, but can’t be bear the idea of pulling out and then washing your full-sized food processor. It’s great for small batches. And because it’s small and light, it travels very, very well.
The folks at OXO sent it to me, along with the copy of Just Cook It! (pictured above) by Justin Chapple, asking me to find a recipe in the book to make that would partner well with the One Stop Chop. After a trip through the book (which is a really terrific volume on approachable, tasty home cooking), I settled on the recipe for Smashed Chickpea Salad Lettuce Wraps.
The concept behind this dish is that it’s essentially chicken salad, with smashed chickpeas playing the role of the chicken. As someone who is slowly inching away from animal proteins but loves chicken salad, this recipe spoke to me.
Another thing I liked about it is that it’s a really pantry-friendly recipe. Other than the freshly snipped chives, everything it calls for are staples in my kitchen (and in a pinch, one could always use some dried parsley in place of the fresh).
The instructions call for you to rinse the chickpeas, put them in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher. Because I had the One Stop Chop at my disposal, I used it to break them down instead. The container was able to accommodate both cans of chickpeas and broken them down really quickly.
Another thing that I like about the One Stop Chop is that it has a leaver that allows you to suction the bowl in place on your counter. This means that you can apply a goodly amount of force to the handle as you first get the chopping going, without having to work against yourself to keep it in place. It also has a little tab that you lift to quickly break the suction when you need to move the bowl again. It’s a really smart design.
Once all your ingredients are chopped, you stir them together with a relatively small amount of mayonnaise (for those of you who are entirely plant-based eaters, all this recipe needs is a vegan mayo to work for you). Justin recommends that you eat this tucked into lettuce cups, though that felt a little gimmicky to me.
After I took that final picture, I torn the lettuce into bits and turned it into a salad, which felt far more manageable. I ate the chickpea salad for lunch on three consecutive days and enjoyed it each time (chances are good that I’ll make another batch next week).
Smashed Chickpea Salad Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 medium celery ribs minced
- 1/3 cup minced red onion
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 12 large Bibb or iceberg lettuce leaves for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a potato masher or large whisk, coarsely smash most of the chickpeas (some of the chickpeas might still be whole, which is good).
- Add the celery, onion, mayonnaise, and lemon juice to the chickpeas and mix well. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives and parsley.
- Spoon the chickpea salad into the lettuce leaves and serve.
Very intrigued! I have full-sized and mini processors, but I’m liking this idea.
The OXO looks like something my Mom might like. I have a small food processor attachment for my mixer that I use for this purpose. She has one but refuses to use it so this might tempt her.
The recipe looks good too but not for a weeks vacation. Who takes chives, fresh parsley or even lemons? I recall from our past outings that we pretty much stuck to staples like steak, hot dogs and hamburgers, sliced bread with sandwich fixings and premade and froze future dinners. (My chicken enchiladas have been a hit since that particular trip.) And anything from a can. Yes, condiments and a bit of fresh stuff but on the whole the week’s cooking involved very little prep.
This recipe, however, is a great one for those summer days that are a bit too hot for spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Something a bit different but no fussy or time consuming. I’m not a fan of chicken salad but I am a fan of chickpeas and I’ll not only be bookmarking this post but I’m going to go check out that book and put that chopper on my Mom’s wishlist.
I think this salad would be good without the chives or parsley. And you could always use a splash of vinegar in place of the lemon juice. So it could be streamlined and be better for vacationing!