Big Tuna

There are a multitude of things that I have encountered as a new vegan that just blow my mind.

• Why do I crave Chinese food so much when I was never a big fan before?
• How can vegan donuts from Sweet Theory Bakery be better than any donuts I've ever had?
• Why am I so apprehensive about Vegenaise when I've spent my whole life loving mayo and I am actually less bothered by the ingredients in the vegan stuff?
• Who can actually stomach SeaSnax?
• Why do I think that falafel is going to taste like crabcakes and why don't I just go ahead and make/try them and get over it already?
• How is it possible that so many delicious meals can be made from such easy ingredients, most of which are standards around our house anyway? 

 

I'll give away a little piece of myself right now. I have a small set of things that are sacred to me. Things that are intricately connected to my being in ways that they cannot be removed. They are literally embedded in my bones, and they will be a part of me until I die. One of these things is tuna salad.

 

I know, I know, that sounds ridiculous. But I'm being really serious. Tuna salad has been a huge part of my life. My family lived with my grandparents growing up, and even when we didn't live there, we were always there. My grandfather died when I was 14, and my grandmother is now 94 years old, and she's a tough lady. And while my idea of a "great cook" has changed over the years, she is who I think of when I hear someone talking about southern cooking. A lot of my memories growing up revolve around the kitchen and her and my mom cooking. And one thing will stand out to me always is that everyone always said she made the best tuna salad they ever had.

 

Frankly, it wasn't my kinda thing. She put eggs and raw onions in it, and it just wasn't my favorite. My favorite, hands down, was my moms. Lots of mayo, chopped dill pickles, and topped with mayo. Delicious. While the other kids had PB&J or bought their school lunch, I was pampered with tuna sandwiches. Kids thought I was weird, but man did I love those sandwiches. One of my favorite memories with my mom was one summer when each of us took a can of tuna, made individual tuna salads, split them, and had a recipe contest. Mom's was clearly the winner.

 

For years and years, I ate more than my share of mercury-filled tuna. Knowing what I do now about mercury, I'm kinda surprised I've never had mercury poisoning. Friends still make comments on how many tuna sandwiches I've eaten in my lifetime. I'm pretty sure I've tried the majority of tuna salads in the greater Jacksonville area, and I've made just as many of those sandwiches myself, using my mom's recipe (with a few minor adjustments).

 

 

So one of the things I've missed most in these six weeks of being vegan is tuna sandwiches. Last week I attempted a mock salad made with almonds, and it was good, but it was not an adequate replacement. After seeing tons of recipes using chickpeas, I decided to put my old tuna recipe to the chickpea challenge. I knew it wouldn't come close to the same, but, maybe it would be enough to satiate that tuna craving that's been lurking.

 

 

Ingredients

1 15oz can chickpeas (or feel free to make them from scratch)

1/3 to 1/2 cup Vegenaise (I like a lot of "mayo", so if you don't, scale it back and go from there)

1/4 cup dill pickles, chopped

Dash salt

Dash pepper

Dash garlic powder

Dash lemon juice

 

Directions

Toss the rinsed chickpeas into your food processor, pulse until they're chopped but not pasty (you can do this by hand, but it's so much easier this way). Empty into a bowl and chop pickles to the fineness of your liking. Add all ingredients, adjust seasonings to taste. Throw in the fridge to chill and let the flavors meld.

 

So the first bite I took was like "eh... okay... that's a chickpea with vegenaise" but bites two and three became revolutionary. What?? This is good! And it reminds me of tuna salad!!

 

Look. I'm okay with kale not reminding me of anything but, well, kale. And I'm okay with a green smoothie not reminding me of a milkshake. These things can just be good in their own right. But if I'm making a cheesy sauce or eating a vegan donut or making cream of mushroom soup or having a veggie burger or making fake tuna salad... I want it to be reminiscent of the old food item. And it looks like I found a winner. I'm gonna stuff that mix in pita pocket and enjoy the crap out of it for lunch tomorrow. Vegan win.

 

And, you know what? This is just the next chapter of me and tuna salad. We don't have to break our lifelong bond. We just mixed it up a little.