Meet The Chickpea

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

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Chickpeas are dried edible seeds from leguminous plants and often known as garbanzo beans.  They are round in shape, with a light brown color and can be found cooked and ready to eat in a can or dried, uncooked in packages or bins at your local market.

Also know as pulses, chick-peas are featured prominently in the Middle Eastern cuisine. Chickpeas have been transformed into many healthy and nutritious dishes such as hummus, falafel, and soups.

Pulses, the category they fall under, are a great pantry item lasting up to 6 months in an airtight container. They are an inexpensive source of protein, making them a popular bean. Addition to protein they also contain a great  source of fiber, iron, vitamin B and C, calcium, and can help in lowering one’s cholesterol.
When I decided to take the unprocessed food challenge this month, I was craving for a big bowl of hummus for an afternoon lunch snack, and found myself reaching for a can of beans in my pantry. I caught myself in my tracks wondering how I was going to eat my hummus lunch unprocessed. So, I ventured out to my supermarket looking for chickpeas in the raw-uncooked. From a bin, I snatched up one pound of beans hoping that would be enough, headed back home to accomplish my first task to make them into something edible for dinner.

Chickpeas need to soak overnight.  Taking that into consideration, I threw them into a pot of water for them to soak upon returning from the store.  I had a salad for lunch that afternoon, dreaming of the many possibilities for my chickpeas tomorrow. To learn the complete visit here: Cooking Technique with Chickpeas.

From the one pound of cooked chickpeas, I ended up making three dishes, chick-pea stew, hummus, and a Greek bean salad.

I have broken down the simple process from their raw stage to their cooked stage. Once they are cooked, you may eat them all, or freeze them in smaller batches to be added later to your salads and soups. Take a look and hopefully you will engage in making these recipes and enjoy the pleasure of eating fresh chickpeas.

Recipe # 1 Chickpea Stew with Fall Vegetables

Recipe #2   Fresh Garlic Hummus

Recipe #3   Greek Chickpea Salad

If you would like to join the October #Unprocessed Challenge visit:  www.eatingrules.com

Three different recipes you can try and enjoy!

Mary 

© 2010 – 2022, Mary Papoulias-Platis. All rights reserved.

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

1 amy

I just made these today! Soaked them up last night and saw this post. I’d love to see the recipes but I need a word press login?? Is that right? Love your site!

2 The Cilantropist

This listing of chickpea recipes is fabulous! I have some dried chickpeas in my pantry just waiting to be used. 🙂

3 Mary Papoulias-Platis

Perfect! Just plan a day ahead. I taste a big difference between dried and canned in my recipes. Thanks and enjoy the recipes.

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