buffalo chickpea lettuce wraps

Here’s something quick & easy for a fun, meatless meal – Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) tossed in hot sauce, honey & a smoky hint of barbecue sauce, spooned into lettuce leaves, topped with shredded carrot, thinly sliced celery & drizzled with blue cheese sauce. I prefer to make my own blue cheese sauce & hot sauce but for an even speedier meal, I won’t judge if you use bottled. Although this recipe is meatless, you don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy it – just hungry & in need of some sustenance in a hurry.

Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Servings:

Lettuce leaves such as gem or romaine, separated, soaked & drained
2 cans (16oz/453g each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed & drained
3 tablespoons hot sauce such as Frank’s Red Hot
3 tablespoons sriracha sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 to 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 cup coarsely grated carrot
2 to 3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

BLUE CHEESE SAUCE

2 oz (60g) blue cheese
1/4 cup (60ml) sour cream
3 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

To make the blue cheese sauce:

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat and stir over medium heat until the cheese is melted. Let cool somewhat before drizzling. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or so of water to thin the sauce.

To make the wraps:

Separate lettuce and soak them in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes if time permits. Just before serving, drain the lettuce and wrap in a clean tea towel to dry.
Place chickpeas, hot sauce, sriracha sauce, honey and barbecue sauce in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are hot and the sauce is thickened and glossy, coating the chickpeas, about 5 minutes. Let the chickpeas cool slightly, just so they won’t wilt the lettuce leaves.
To serve, arrange the lettuce, chickpeas, carrot, celery and blue cheese sauce and let people make their own wraps. Or to make and serve them, add carrot and celery to a lettuce leaf, top with chickpeas and drizzle with sauce. Serves 4.