Lunch

THREE BEAN PITA SANDWICH

August 25, 2019 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

The great thing about food blogging is that inspiration comes three times per day, at a minimum. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Any time we go out to eat or have a meal at a friend’s house, I am surrounded by inspiration. My husband recently requested a bean based sandwich. My brain instantly went to the three bean salad available at the Jason’s Deli salad bar. Why not make something similar and pop it into a pita?

I love a dish that can be served more than one way. This is that kind of dish. You can easily serve this up as a pita sandwich (as described in the recipe) but you could just as easily eat it as a salad. Alternatively, I think it could also make a great topping on a baked sweet potato. Main dish or side dish. Either way, I call it delicious. I always keep chickpeas and black beans in my pantry. This recipe is a perfect example of why they are staples.

Tips

You can eat this right away if you want to. However, you will get better flavor if you let the bean mixture marinate in the dressing for 30 minutes before eating it.
If you are packing this for lunch, I recommend packing the bean mixture and the pita bread separately so the bread doesn’t get soggy.

Three Bean Pita Sandwich

This three bean pita sandwich turns pantry staples into a delicious meal.

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Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 small cucumber, diced
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
4 6″ whole wheat pita breads, cut in half

For the dressing

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons tamari sauce or low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together all of the beans, vegetables and fresh herbs. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over bean mixture and stir until evenly coated.
When ready to eat, use a slotted spoon to scoop bean salad into pita halves.

Keyword Beans, Pita, Sandwich, Three Bean, Three Bean Pita Sandwich

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also be interested in my curried chickpea salad sandwich or my veggie wrap with homemade jalapeno hummus.

Veggie Wrap With Homemade Jalapeño Hummus

September 9, 2018 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

I have to say that I’m fortunate to have a cafeteria available to me at work. It really is convenient when I don’t have any leftovers to bring in for lunch. However, the meatless options in the cafeteria aren’t stellar. I often default to the veggie wrap but it seems like half of the filling options typically aren’t available for one reason or another. This can result in a lettuce and tomato wrap with a little bit of hummus and/or cheese. Not filling. Not flavorful.

With just a little bit of meal prep at the beginning of the week, I’m sure I can provide myself with a better wrap for lunch. My plan is to chop and slice all of the vegetables then place them into individual bags that I can quickly grab out of the fridge as I head out the door for work. By assembling the wraps at work, the wrap/tortilla won’t get soggy. This homemade jalapeño hummus provides so much flavor and can easily be used for dipping veggies, crackers, etc. as a side dish or snack.

Tips:

If you want to add more spice to your hummus, add more jalapeño. If you prefer a milder level of heat, remove the seeds from the jalapeño before chopping and adding it to the hummus.
To avoid getting the jalapeño oils on your hands (and potentially in your eyes if you rub them) wear plastic gloves while chopping it.

Veggie Wrap with Homemade Jalapeño Hummus

For the jalapeño hummus:

15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 Tablespoons tahini

1/3 cup Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh jalapeño, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

Hummus Directions:

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. You may need to scrape the sides of the processor part way through in order to fully incorporate the ingredients.

For the wrap:

1 wrap or large tortilla

¼ cup jalapeño hummus

Handful of kale

Handful of red cabbage, chopped

4 slices cucumber

4 rings of sliced red onion

3 slices tomato

Handful of zucchini noodles

3 slices bell pepper

Wrap Directions:

Spread hummus on 1/3 – 1/2 of the wrap. On top of the hummus, layer the kale, cabbage, cucumber, onion, tomato, zucchini noodles and bell pepper. Fold the wrap around the vegetables and enjoy.

Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich

February 19, 2018 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

I’m generally good about eating dinner leftovers for lunches at work but lately we haven’t been making big meals for dinner. We’ve been keeping it light with smoothies or salads. Frankly, these don’t make good leftovers. So, I’ve been needing to come up with easy dishes to make on the fly for my lunches.

Since going vegetarian, chickpeas have become a staple in my pantry. I’ve added them to soups and salads, made hummus. I’ve tried a few chickpea salad sandwich recipes but found them to be a little bit bland. I want flavor! If you can’t find what you’re looking for create it yourself, right? I created my own sandwich and added curry to kick it up a notch. No more boring sandwiches in my brown bagged lunches!

Tips:

If you’re needing to take the gluten free option, use your favorite GF bread, turn it into a lettuce wrap or just skip the bread altogether. Frankly, this is just as delicious eaten by the fork-full.
I used a hot curry powder for a stronger flavor but feel free to use whatever curry powder you happen to have on hand and then reduce or add amount based on your desired flavor.

CURRIED CHICKPEA SALAD SANDWICH

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Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 1/2 teaspoons hot madras curry powder
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
salt & pepper to taste
8 slices whole grain bread
optional garnishes: lettuce, red onion

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together yogurt and curry powder. In a medium mixing bowl, mash chickpeas with a fork until they are a bit crumbly, some chunks are okay. Add carrots, bell peppers and curried yogurt to chickpeas, stir until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scoop equal amounts of mixture onto 4 slices of bread. Add desired garnishes and then top with remaining slices of bread.