chickie chick salad

It's really funny to me that I even blog about food at all.  Not that I label myself an actual "food blogger" or anything, but usually people who post recipes enjoy cooking a teensy bit more than I do! If you didn't gather from my whiny post about making homemade hotdog buns, cooking is not my most favorite thing. 

To be really raw and honest, I've had to overcome a lot of stress and anxiety about food.  I even went to a health counselor who helped me deal with some of my issues.  Sensitive stomach problems, low blood sugar, worries about negative aspects of the food industry and eating clean made me actually wish that eating was not even a part of life.  (I would hard-core dream of a pill that could make me not even need food. Pretty sad, I know.)

My health coach, Amanda, gave me this meal idea and it was like some kind of What about Bob therapy, for real! Baby steps. Whenever I didn't know what to eat, I would make this. Over three years later, and I'm still not even sick of it. 

This is not a strict recipe in the least, and I never have to worry about exact measurements. Just get a bunch of celery, a can or two of garbanzo beans (chick peas), sliced almonds, some stone ground mustard, olive oil, and salt. 

Clearly my target audience for my cooking advice is probably 10 year olds who have never cooked anything... or possibly a helpless bachelor eating Cheetos right now?

Oh my gosh, that thought just made me miss my favorite single-girl dinners of popcorn, cheese, and avocado slices.

Anyway... If that's the case -- you're in luck, because this meal is so quick and easy!

And its vegetarian/vegan/still delicious.

Obviously I strain and rinse the chick peas first though, just in case the helpless bachelor reading this wasn't sure about that part. DO NOT POUR THAT YUCK-WATER IN THE BOWL. Strain that.

ALSO. Did you know you can get the cans with no BPA lining?! HOW COOL! If I had known that, I would've eaten canned food when I was pregnant instead of winning World's Most Annoyingly Cautious Pregsie.

I buy sliced almonds in bulk at Whole Foods and keep them in a storage container... because I am a classy mom, you guys! 

Next you mix a highly technical dressing.

And by highly technical, I mean squirt some mustard in olive oil and stir it!

The consistency I go for is not as thick as the mustard, but also not as runny as a regular salad dressing -- just right smack-dab in between. 

Now put the lid on your bowl and shake it up, baby! Or stir it, whatever, but that's less fun.

If the beans and celery are not fully coated, just mix up a little bit more of the dressing.

Finally, add salt to taste!  I usually use a pretty large pinch for a medium bowl of this salad. 

Enjoy straight up - with pita chips - or top off some salad greens.  

I hope that if you need a "baby steps" meal like I did --or if you just need something quick and easy-- that this will do the trick!  "I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful!"
It might even remind you of traditional chicken salad, and you won't have to ask if the chicken is local or if the chicken had any friends. Everybody wins!