Smashed Avocado Chickpea Spread

         I’ve mentioned elsewhere that, for me, avocados are so luscious, so succulent, so decadently sublime, that they need nothing but a dash of salt and pepper to achieve perfection.  Any other addition seems an adulterating shame.  So I still believe.  You cannot convince me otherwise.  However.  However, once in a long while I come across a preparation that makes me almost reconsider my purist avocado devotion.  This recipe is one of those very few.  I found it at two peas & their pod, and though I was a bit skeptical at first, I really had to try it.  After all, the recipe includes two of my favorite other ingredients, lime and chickpeas.  The thought of combining them with avocado was intriguing.  I pulled ingredients from cupboards, counters, and refrigerator, and began mixing.

          The result was tastier than I could have imagined.  Meaty chickpeas blended with buttery avocado, accented with a citrus tang and the faint green bite of onion.  I made one significant change to the original recipe, and I’m very glad I did.  Rather then blending the avocado and chickpeas into a fully incorporated paste, I allowed them each to retain their cohesion.  They thus accented each other beautifully without losing their scrumptious little identities.  Paulo and I sat on the deck with a box of crackers as the sun went down, and ate the entire bowl of smashed spread, with freshly brewed iced tea to wash it all down.

Smashed Avocado Chickpea Spread

1 large ripe avocado

1 1/2 cups chickpeas

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 T green onions, thinly sliced

juice of 1 lime

          Dice the avocado into 1/2″ cubes.  In a large bowl lightly mash the chickpeas.  Remove any skins that separate away.  Add a little salt.  Stir in the cilantro and onions.  Scatter the avocado cubes over top, then sprinkle with the lime juice.  Gently fold the avocado into the chickpeas until evenly distributed.  The ripe avocado will melt a bit into the other ingredients, but should still retain some coherence.  Add a little more salt, if needed.  Eat with crackers, or spoon into lettuce leaves, or spread onto bread for a tasty sandwich.