Serves: 6-8

3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed 1 cup celery, diced 1/2 cup organic dried cranberries (chopped fresh would be great too) 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped 1/2 cup scallions (green onions), thinly sliced, white & green parts mineral salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon each) Dressing: 6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) tahini or vegan mayo 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) champagne, white wine or cider vinegar (I used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar) 2 tablespoons water (only needed if using tahini) 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup To serve: leafy lettuce of choice bread of choice

Start by mixing your dressing. In a small bowl combine, tahini/mayo, vinegar, water and maple syrup. Set aside so the flavors come together. This can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add a tad more water, or vinegar if you're a vinegar lover, to thin out dressing as desired. If using vegan mayo, you may like to add 2 more tablespoons. In a medium to large bowl, add your garbanzo beans and roughly mash with a strong fork or potato masher. Add in celery, cranberries, nuts, scallions, salt, pepper and dressing, mix well. Serve at room temp or let chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving. Serve on your favorite bread as a closed or open faced sandwich, or on a bed of leafy greens. You may even opt to simply enjoy the salad as is.