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Side view of a plate of cucumber boats topped with chickpeas, scallions, cilantro and tahini sauce.

Cucumber Boats with Crispy Chickpeas

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 cucumber boats 1x
  • Category: Lunch
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These Cucumber Boats are a fun and easy lunchbox recipe stuffed with rice and topped with crispy chickpeas and sweet and spicy tahini sauce.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (you can also use cooked lentils or edamame)
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp each onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 cup cooked rice of choice (I used both white rice and black rice)
  • Garnish: sliced scallions and cilantro

Spicy Garlic Tahini Sauce

  • 3 tbsp good quality tahini
  • 1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp maple syrup (adjust to taste)
  • 2 tsp chili garlic sauce or sriracha
  • 3 tbsp cold water

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375F. Place your chickpeas in a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry. Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with the oil, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Old Bay Seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the chickpeas to evenly coat and then spread them out in a single layer on the tray. Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
  2. Prepare the sauce by combining the tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl. Whisk together until the sauce starts to thicken significantly, then slowly pour your water in while whisking. Add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed until the sauce is to your desired pouring consistency.
  3. To assemble, cut your cucumber lengthwise and then cut in half again at the width to get 4 equal boat shaped pieces. To help the cucumber lay flat, shave or peel a portion of the bottom of the cucumber so it can lay flat. Deseed the cucumber with a spoon and then stuff each boat with 2-3 spoons of rice. Wet your hands and press the rice into the cucumber so it lays flat. Press the roasted chickpeas into the rice and then drizzle on the tahini sauce. Garnish with minced cilantro and scallions and enjoy.

Notes

To save time, use store bought roasted chickpeas. Prep your rice in advance as well and this recipe can be an easy no cook meal that you can through together at anytime.

Cut or shave off a small portion of the bottom of your cucumber. This will help the cucumber lay flat and sturdy without rocking when adding in your filling.

Adjust the seasonings to your liking. All measurements for the chickpea seasonings and sauce are based on my own preference. Feel free to adjust the saltiness, sweet and savory elements to your liking, just make sure to add small amounts in at a time as it is easier to taste and adjust as you go.

Use wet hands when handling the rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands as you press it into the cucumber.

Do scoop out the seeds of the cucumber. This is where you rest your filling and it will prevent everything from getting soggy. Save what you scoop out in the freezer so you can toss it into smoothies for extra nutrition.