Summer means that soup is no longer a go-to lunch in our household. In place, I make vegan sandwich mixes like my Tofu Egg Salad and this Best Vegan Chick'n Salad to spread on a sandwich and take to picnics with my daughter, on hikes with our family, or just enjoy at home.
What I love is that similar to soups, you can make one batch and have it last the whole week.
That makes lunch SUPER easy.
Not only that, but this recipe is a great way to get in your recommended daily serving of beans.
Regular bean consumption is associated with lower body weight and reduced disease rates. Researchers found that those who have the highest legume intake per week had the lowest odds of metabolic syndrome. Other research found that eating beans for one meal helps with your next meal, even if you don't have beans during the second meal. You have a reduced insulin spike after your next meal, even if it's more refined and less fibrous.
And it's not only your insulin levels that are moderated after a meal of beans. Researchers found after a dinner that included brown beans, satiety hormones were higher, hunger hormones and sensations were lower, and inflammation markers were lower at breakfast the next day.
Needless to say after those articles, beans are a superfood, especially for those with insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome or those who desire weight loss.
Did you also know most people are not getting the daily recommended amount of fiber? For women, it's recommended to get 25+grams per day, and for men, it's recommended to get nearly 40 or more grams?
Beans are very high in fiber (around 10 grams in 1/2 cup serving) and as already mentioned, that fiber has wonderful effects on our overall health when digested by our gut bacteria.
One Vegan Chick'n Sandwich can have 5-10 grams of fiber from the sandwich mix, plus additional fiber depending on your bread choice.
It also has only 3 grams of fat per serving, and 0 mg of cholesterol!
I recommend putting about 1/2 cup of the Best Vegan Chick'n Salad on your sandwich, but you can put more. Using this much means you would have enough for about 5-6 sandwiches. That's a whole week!
I love adding my to sourdough, which is a lower glycemic bread that contains some probiotics. However, fibrous sprouted bread or another variety of high-fiber bread would fill you up and keep you full longer, and benefit your gut bacteria.
As I mentioned the best part is it takes hardly any time to make and can last all week in the fridge. It keeps well when traveling, and also makes a great topper for crackers if you wanted to bring it to a party.
You can of course change the sweet relish for another variety, the mustard for dijon, the apple for grapes, the celery for carrots, or the sunflower seeds for another nut. This Best Vegan Chick'n Salad is very easy to change to your liking.
Hope you will give it a try and tell me whether you liked it or not in the comments below!
Want to print it? Download it here.
This recipe was developed by Lucille Luong
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