Like tuna salad? Then you'll love Colleen's Better-than-Tuna salad: all the taste, without the fish.As much as we don't like to admit it, much of what we do on a daily basis is out of habit, including the way we eat and the food choices we make. They may be borne out of familial, cultural, social, personal traditions, but they're habits nonetheless. At the notion of "giving up" cheese or stopping eating chickens or fish, people balk, "I could never give it up. Don't take away my cheese. I love fish too much." As a vegan cooking instructor, I've heard 'em all.

I've also seen thousands of people change their diets from one based on animals to one based on plants, and the transition they experience winds up being a lot easier than even they anticipated. Whatever you want to say about how humans eat, the fact is we're not true carnivores. We don't crave flesh the way a lion does: we have neither the strength, claws, teeth, or desire to take down our prey with our bare hands, and we wouldn't die without meat, as would a true carnivore.

The truth is whereas we don't crave the flesh of an animal, we do crave texture. We crave flavor. We crave fat. We crave salt. We also crave satisfaction and familiarity, bringing an entire emotional history to the table when we sit down to eat. When someone says "I tried to eat vegetarian, but I just craved meat," I tell them with confidence that it wasn't meat they were craving. It may have been salt, it may have been fat, it may have been calories, but it most certainly was not the flesh of an animal. Anyone who's ever lived with a true carnivore (i.e. a domestic cat) knows how a carnivore reacts when he spots his prey: teeth chatter, tail flickers, mouth waters. If this happens to you when you spot a bird in your yard or a steer grazing peacefully on the hillside, frankly, I don't want to know.

When we embrace the endless plant options available to us, we recognize a world of foods we didn't even see before. Though we may experience a transition as we let go of certain habits, we can also anticipate the excitement and joy of reshaping old traditions and creating new ones. There's nothing wrong with seeking out familiar-tasting and familiar-looking dishes that we may have enjoyed in the past, because it is the texture and familiarity we still have a right to enjoy.

This "Better Than Tuna Salad" is an example of a dish that provides familiarity and gustatory pleasure without the ethical, environmental, and health concerns associated with eating aquatic animals.

Better-than-Tuna Salad
Serves 4-6, depending on serving style: sandwiches or side dish

1 can organic garbanzo beans/chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (or more) eggless mayonnaise (Wildwood’s Garlic Aioli, Nayonnaise, or Vegenaise are great options)
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 scallions (white and light green parts), finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
Black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the chick peas to a food processor or blender and grind them down into small pieces. You can even grind them down so it becomes somewhat like a thick puree. The ultimate texture is up to you. Grinding the beans is optional, but I find that it’s easier to eat it as a sandwich this way; plus, it really does resemble tuna in taste and texture when the beans are ground up. It's best if you use the "pulse" button on your food processor so you can control the ultimate texture of the beans.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, and the amount of aioli/eggless mayonnaise you desire.

Serving Suggestions:

*Wonderful as a sandwich filling on a hard roll or stuffed in a pita
*Serve on crackers as an appetizer or party dish
*Serve as a side salad – great for picnics and BBQs!

Variation Suggestions:

*Of course you may also use beans made from scratch, as opposed to canned beans.
*Use cubed, steamed tempeh for a “Better Than Chicken Salad."
*Use potatoes for a tasty potato salad.
*Use mashed extra firm tofu for an “eggless egg” salad.
*The walnuts are optional, but they add a really nice texture.
*You may sprinkle some kelp flakes in as well, to really add to the “fishy” flavor.

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