Inspired by... 1: Coronation Chickpea Salad- vegan, gluten free, soya free

This salad is full of contrasting crunchy and soft textures and spicy, sweet and creamy flavours

How many hundred recipes have I bookmarked or pinned over the years then forgotten all about? Well no longer- because now I'm going to start taking some of those recipes, veganising/ yoga-ising them and generally adapting them to what ingredients I can get here if necessary. We all need a little inspiration sometimes! Today's recipe (which I named "Coronation" after "Coronation Chicken" salad) was inspired by http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/curried-chickpea-salad.html , Julie at The Simple Veganista's amazing curried chickpea salad recipe. She has only been blogging since 2012 but her site is full of great recipes and photography, and her positive, caring attitude to life shines through all the posts. Well worth checking out- you won't be disappointed. Thanks for the inspiration, Julie :)

Serves 4-5 people as a side (but I loved it so much I could have easily eaten twice the amount!)
2x250ml cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 stick celery, diced small
1 small carrot, diced small if you eat them (many following the path of Bhakti Yoga don't) -I changed the veggies a bit
1 tab sultanas -I used these instead of raisins as I already had them in the cupboard
1 1/2 tabs cashew pieces- I didn't bother to toast them, although I'm sure they would have been delicious if I had
2 tabs tahini
2 tabs lemon juice
1/2 tab Madras curry powder
a pinch of hing -I use this instead of garlic or onions
a pinch of black pepper

• Mash the chickpeas a little; I didn't mash mine as much as Julie's, although if I had made this as a sandwich filling I would have.
• Stir in the chopped veggies, cashews and sultanas.
• In another bowl, mix the tahini, lemon juice and seasonings.
• Mix the dressing in with all the other goodies.

... and next time I make this I'm going to add a little chopped apple as well!