Ingredients:

  • (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and thoroughly drained
  • cup cottage cheese (4% fat recommended)
  • /4 cup plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
  • medium celery stalks, finely diced
  • /4 cup red onion, very finely minced
  • tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoons mild curry powder
  • /4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • teaspoon honey or maple syrup
  • /2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

  1. Place drained chickpeas into a large mixing bowl. Using a potato masher or a sturdy fork, coarsely mash about 60-70% of the chickpeas, leaving the remaining 30-40% whole for texture.
  2. Finely dice the celery and red onion. Roughly chop the cilantro. Add all chopped ingredients to the bowl with the mashed and whole chickpeas.
  3. Add the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt (or mayonnaise), curry powder, turmeric, lemon juice, and honey to the bowl.
  4. Gently fold all ingredients together until just combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain texture contrast.
  5. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper as needed. Add more lemon juice for zest or curry powder for heat, if desired.
  6. Cover the bowl tightly with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the spices to bloom before serving.