FOOTBALL! SPORTS! WEEKENDS! So, apparently, a lot of people get even more excited for weekends come the Fall. For many years, I was the opposite of those people. That’s not to say that I’m a tailgater now or anything, it’s just that part of my former job required me to know way more about football than I ever wanted. For 7 years, I worked for a company that tracks what people watch on tv, including advertising. Yes, you are being watched as you watch tv. National advertising for football is big money, and the rules around how the networks can air the games each weekend are ridiculously complex. I cannot explain how excited I am to not have to think about it anymore. Now, I get to create healthy game day recipes that you can enjoy without worrying about being compared to a linebacker. TOUCHDOWN!
Football day is the day for all things buffalo. So around here, we have buffalo chickpeas. And then we put them in lettuce cups so that we can eat more of them. Well, I do. Michael isn’t a fan of the lettuce cups – I think it might be a little TOO healthy for him. 🙂 So if you are on Team Tortilla, like Michael, carb it up! I won’t tell anyone. I’ve been known to put a lettuce wrap inside a tortilla – best of both worlds. 🙂
To make these buffalo chickpea lettuce cups, you’ll need just a few ingredients:
- Lettuce leaves that are sturdy enough to hold a bit of filling (Costco sells Baby Romaine leaves that are perfect!)
- Chickpeas (cook them yourself (it’s so easy!), or use canned)
- Buffalo Sauce
- Celery (a must for me, but possibly optional for you, I’m not judging)
- Avocado
- Vegan Ranch Dressing (optional, but HIGHLY recommended)
Putting these together couldn’t be easier. Let’s start with the chickpeas. Time to get your roast on.
Roast 2 cups of chickpeas at 400F for 20-25 minutes. Toss with a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce a smidge of oil to get those beautiful dark brown roasted bits. Then, sauce em’ up. And for the sauce, there is no substitute.
It’s gotta be Frank’s Red Hot – the classic buffalo sauce. Toss the freshly roasted chickpeas with a hefty dose of sauce and you are almost ready to eat!
Wash and pat dry 8 sturdy lettuce cups, like the baby romaine hearts pictured above, or you could also try Butter/Boston/Bibb lettuce, which naturally forms little cups as you peel back the leaves.
Lastly, top the sauced-up chickpeas with the celery, avocado, and of course, the vegan ranch dressing. It’s the perfect counterpoint to the spicy chickpeas. Also it just tastes really good. So you should definitely make it and drizzle it liberally over these. Try not to spill as much as I did, though, it’s too good to waste.
Make these for your next game day feast, and tell me all about it! Tag @eatwithinyourmeans and hashtag #eatwithinyourmeans on Instagram, or leave a comment here. Or both! It makes me happier than my sweet Josh celebrating a touchdown. 🙂
GO 49ers! It’s a rebuilding year. 😉
Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 15oz. can (drained))
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon neutral-flavored oil (optional)
- 8 leaves sturdy lettuce (such as romaine, washed)
- 1 avocado (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (diced)
- 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon dairy-free butter or refined coconut oil (optional)
- 1/2 cup vegan ranch dressing (optional (but HIGHLY recommended))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Pour the chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, patting dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel.
- Add the soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of oil, gently toss to coat.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and slightly crispy.
- Remove the chickpeas to a small bowl and add the Frank’s Red Hot sauce, stirring to combine.
- Evenly divide the chickpeas into the lettuce cups.
- Sprinkle celery and avocado over the top of each lettuce cup, and drizzle with vegan ranch dressing, if desired.
Ohh YES to these! My husband is a HUGE football fan, so I’m always just along for the ride for the food 🙂 I think I can get him to partake in these while I try to still figure out how football works! xoxo
I’m so glad I’m not alone in the not understanding football department. I start hearing terms like read-option and my brain shuts down, not unlike learning about SEO, ha ha. 🙂
Hope you like these if you give em a go! ???
Wow, just Wow. This non vegan woman kept scrolling the post in excitement to make this!! Impressive goodness.
This was SO good!! ‘Course I am also a sucker for anything buffalo flavored. ? I totally did the best of both worlds and stuck the entire lettuce cups inside a tortilla. And the ranch! It. makes. it. I just need a small – no medium – jar of that to bring to the table with me so I can pour it liberally on my wraps. Please and thank you! ?
We loved these!
My fiancé didn’t think they worked well as lettuce wraps, but that’s because we had butter lettuce on hand. We tore up the lettuce, tossed it all together with some Just Ranch, and called it “salad.” I think next time we’ll roast the chickpeas a little longer to get them crunchier, but that’s just being picky. The recipe is fantastic just as it is. I’ve even recommended it to others in my vegan group!
Hi Jazzi! Great name, by the way. 🙂 I’m so glad you loved these, even as a salad. I always forget about Just Ranch, partially because I’m partial to homemade now that I’ve had it, but mostly because I can’t regularly find it in stores here. Totally understand about the chickpea crunch factor, it’s such a temperamental thing from oven to oven and even chickpea to chickpea, ha. Thanks for recommending it! I’m honored. 🙂
Beth this is one of the best things I have ever tasted!
Your recipes are truly amazing and have allowed my family to go the extra mile and stay true to our plant based eating without any sacrifice on taste.
Your cashew cream is a staple in my fridge and it has replaced our mayo/butter/cream cheese craving.
Your vegan ranch dressing is so much like the fresh ranch I used to make (and crave) loaded with buttermilk and mayo. I have tried so many vegan dressing recipes and this is the first one my whole family loved! I also made this lettuce wrap recipe with bbq sauce on the chickpeas (instead of franks hot sauce) for kids and they loved it!
You truly have a gift in the kitchen and I appreciate all of your recipes!
Thanks for all you do!
Andrea 🙂
Andrea! I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond to this. It made me smile SO BIG when I read it! The cashew cream is a staple in my fridge too, and I use it for all the things you mentioned! So glad that it has become a permanent resident in your fridge. 🙂 It makes me so happy that your whole family loved the ranch! By the way, if you dip tortilla chips in it, it tastes like Cool Ranch Doritos, but even better. You’ve been warned, ha. Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and support! <3
This looks so good! Got all the ingredients and I’m making them tonight. Just one question. Where or when do you add the dairy free butter?
I cannot tell you how many whole food plant based recipes I have struck out making lately! And then I found you! My batting average is definitely going up! I did not make the lettuce wraps but turned it into a salad. I also added some homemade baked broken taco shells to crumble over our salad so not as messy. Oh, and I left the oil out. Plus, I didn’t have any Franks and I used Louisiana hot sauce . I will try Frank’s next time. But, three meat eating men loved. My husband wants to be whole food plant-based, but he cheats way too often. If I keep this up and meal prep…. I guarantee he’s going to cheat a lot less! Thank you! Finally… WFPB that tastes great! Thank you!
Hi Tammy Jo! I’m so behind at getting to these comments, yours perked me up on during a tough week, so thank you! I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the recipes so much, and that they’re husband-approved! Mr. Pass the Plants is my personal taste tester, so if he doesn’t give it at thumbs up, the recipes don’t get published. 🙂
Excellent! Will definitely be making these again, and the ranch will now be a staple in my refrigerator. I think I’ll chop up some fresh mango for a side dish to accompany these wraps next time.
Seriously…so very tasty and satisfying.
I have been making these for years and they are at the top of our list of favs and in our weekly rotation because they are THAT good. Thank you Beth for making veggie centric recipies that taste great. I find there are a lot of vegan recipes that dont have many powerhouse veggies, and if they do, my kids dont like them. I hope you keep creating recipes for your fans!