Green Curry Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

Some people think that because I run a food blog, teach cooking classes and develop recipes for brands that I am eating all.the.time. And while some days I feel like this is the case, other days my first real meal of the day may not be until dinner.

You see, most days, I am up and going by 6:30 am and don’t stop until 11:00 pm that night. This could mean working from home testing, photographing and writing about recipes; or working from the road as I run errands or run all over town teaching cooking classes. Some days when I get home and plop on the couch I realize coffee and a cookie, from a recipe I tested earlier that morning, is all I had to eat that day.

Not good. Not good at all.

Not only is this not healthy, but I get a tad bit grouchy when I don’t eat. Even though my days are busy, I am trying to make a conscious effort to stop and eat and squeeze in at least 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week.

Since this time of year is also filled with a lot of sweet treats and indulging, I hope that with my efforts to eat healthy and stay active, “recovering” from the holidays won’t be so bad as we roll into the new year (hello, new year’s resolutions!).

In an effort to eat right, lunch has become my new favorite meal! I used to struggle the most with lunch, needing something fast and healthy, yet filling enough to keep me fueled until dinner time. Salads are a good healthy option, but can be a bit time consuming chopping all those vegetables, but sandwiches, well that’s where it’s at!

Since sandwiches just scream lunch, I was happy to discover Sara Lee® Delightful Breads. These breads are only 45 calories per full-size slice, are excellent source of fiber, contain no artificial colors or flavors, and no high fructose corn syrup. While these breads come in a variety of flavors, my favorite flavor is 100% Whole Wheat, which goes great with all sorts of sandwich toppings.

My current favorite sandwich inspired by Thai flavors, is this Green Curry Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich. This sandwich is so delicious and a delightful and healthier way to change up your ho-hum lunch routine!

Green Curry Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwiches 
by Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Printable Version
Prep Time: 10 minutes Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 ½ – 2 teaspoons green curry paste
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped unsalted cashews
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/8 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
8 slices 100% Whole Wheat Sara Lee® Delightful Bread (toasted, if desired)
Romaine lettuce or spinach, for serving

Directions:
In a small bowl stir together Greek yogurt and green curry paste. Set aside.

Add drained and rinsed chickpeas to a medium sized bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, mash chickpeas until almost smooth or to desired consistency. Stir in green onions, cashews, raisins and yogurt/green curry mixture. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

To serve, spread desired amount of chickpea mixture on one slice of bread. Top with lettuce and another slice of bread. Serve immediately.

Store leftover chickpea salad mixture in refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Even though my health and fitness goals are simple, they are very important to me. Sara Lee® knows that we each have a healthy transformation story of our own and they want to hear about. Share your own health and fitness story as part of Sara Lee’s® 45 Delightful People program and you will automatically receive a free tee-shirt and could win a ton of other great prizes.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sara Lee®. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Because of sponsors like Sara Lee® I am able to continue to bring you all the content I feature here.