CHICKPEA SUNFLOWER SPREAD

This alternative to tuna spread is made with chickpeas and sunflower seeds and a few other tasty ingredients and condiments. Delicious in sandwiches and wraps!

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Thick chickpea and sunflower seed spread served in a white bowl next to some chickpeas, chives and sunflower seeds..

This alternative to tuna spread is made with chickpeas and sunflower seeds and a few other tasty ingredients and condiments. Delicious in sandwiches and wraps!

Hello guys! Today we're re-sharing a recipe, just as we should have done in the first place. You see, we first shared this Chickpea Sunflower Spread as one of the suggested fillings for the california and maki rolls in our Easy Vegan Sushi recipe. But since then we came to realise that this is much more than a sushi filling! It's actually a very easy and tasty spread we end up making for many different occasions. Whether it is included in an elaborate meal, served as a starter or stuffed in a veggie wrap, you will enjoy it just as much. As of now, we're thinking this will be ideal for making sandwiches we can take out for a day at the beach or a summer roadtrip adventure.

There are many renditions of similar chickpea pastes that are made to resemble a tuna spread. We created our very own after tweaking the ingredients, cutting some out and adding others to make it resemble a tuna spread exactly like how we remembered it. That's why we grabbed the kelp powder – this dehydrated, ground seaweed will have you thinking this could actually contain a little bit of tuna. The lemon juice and chives help cut through the richness of the chickpeas while the raw garlic and dijon mustard give it a nice kick of flavour and spiciness. We prefer to have this as a richer, thicker spread but you can also add some more water and make it a little bit runnier, if that's more to liking. Happy cooking, everyone! :)

Chickpeas, sunflower seeds, lemon, onion, garlic, chives and mustard arranged on a light grey background.

Side by side comparison of raw ingredients before and after processing.

Hand using a fork to smash chickpeas into a paste on a white dish.

Smashed chickpeas and blitzed sunflower mix in a bowl, prior to mixing.

Thick chickpea and sunflower seed spread served in a white bowl.

A spoonful of the chickpea and sunflower spread over a light grey background.

Chickpea Sunflower Spread

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Makes approximately 2 cups

10 minutes

Ingredients

1 can (400 ml) of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
75 g sunflower seeds
¼ small red onion
1 small garlic clove, central germ removed
1 tbsp chopped chives (a small bunch of sprigs)
2 tsp kelp powder (optional)
½ tsp sea salt

Instructions

Start by gathering, preparing and measuring all of the ingredients. This will improve your dynamic in the kitchen.

Add the sunflower seeds, red onion, garlic, chives, kelp and sea salt to processor and pulse a few times, until you get a crumbly, even mixture. Set aside.
Tip the rinsed and drained chickpeas into a deep plate and mash them with a fork until they turn into a thick paste.
Add the water, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil and sea salt and mix well to combine.
Fold in the sunflower seed mix.
Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more water if necessary.
Store the spread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.