A Sandwich for Saint Francis . . .

Here’s some news about CreatureKind’s St. Francis Day service, and a great chickpea sandwich recipe.

Bless the Animals with CreatureKind

Our partner community, CreatureKind, sends this invitation to Seekers: We warmly invite you to join us in celebration of St. Francis Day, patron saint of animals and the environment, in a CreatureKind Blessing of the Animals service on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 at 1:00PM EDT/ 5:00 PM GMT.

This will be a 30-minute service where we will lift up prayers for all animals farmed for food – from the land, sea, and sky – and for companion animals who are a deep part of our families. The biblical narrative reminds us that we can learn from animals, and be spiritually guided by them. Their lives are not defined by the industrial world that causes them intense pain and loneliness. Let us celebrate their existence, acknowledge their suffering on Earth, and bless them in our pursuit to peacefully exist with each other without destruction.

You can register here to join us, or for a link to the service afterwards if you can’t make it. The service will also be streamed on FacebookLive.

We are so grateful you are part of our CreatureKind community. Hope to see you there.

A Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This recipe from beloved vegan cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz appeared in today’s Washington Post.

Kala namak is also known as black salt and adds the “eggy” flavor to this dish. (To those of us who haven’t eaten eggs in a long time, it tastes a whole lot better than the eggs we remember.) For more on kala namak, see the full article in the Post.

If you decide to treat yourself to these sandwiches and lack vegan mayo, note that it’s quick and easy to make your own using the liquid from the can of chickpeas the recipe calls for. Here’s a link to one recipe for that, and the internet holds many more.

Thanks to Sandra Miller for sending this in!

“Eggy” Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

Adapted from I Can Cook Veganby Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Abrams, 2019).

  • 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
  • 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon kala namak, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

  • 1 medium carrot, scrubbed and very finely chopped
  • 1 rib celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 8 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted
  • Lettuce leaves, preferably romaine, for serving
  • Tomato slice, for serving

In a medium bowl, use a potato masher or fork to mash the beans until the mixture is chunky but with a few beans left whole.

Add the mayonnaise, kala namak, turmeric and pepper and stir until well combined. Fold in the carrot, celery and onion, and taste, adding more mayonnaise, kala namak and/or pepper if needed.

To build the sandwiches, spread mayonnaise on all the bread slices, if desired. Spread about 1/2 cup of the chickpea mixture on the bottom slice, top with lettuce, tomato and the remaining bread slices.

Keep the Recipes (and Restaurant Reviews) Coming!

We’d love to keep featuring a vegan recipe, restaurant review, or shopping tip each week. If you have an old favorite, or have tried something new recently, please write it up and send it to John or Katie. Desserts, salads, sandwiches, entrees . . . anything that tastes good!