Chickpeas!!

Welcome back!

Today I will be discussing Garabanzo beans (chickpeas) and a few fantastic uses for them!

Chickpeas are an excellent low-fat source of protein and complex carbohydrate. Eaten regularly they can also help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. Chickpeas have many other good nutrients as well, and with an added bonus of being inexpensive!

You can buy canned chickpeas, which are cooked and ready to go, or you can buy dried chickpeas. Either one will work for any of the uses I will be talking about today, but of course, you'll need to cook the dried chickpeas first.

How to cook dried chickpeas;

Pour the desired amount of dried chickpeas into a bowl and cover with water (about 3 inches over).

*If you want you can take some of they whey like I talked about in my last post and add to the soaking water!
Now, let them soak several hours or overnight. Once they have soaked, drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add chickpeas and reduce the heat. Simmer them for about an hour or until soft - but not mushy.

Chickpeas take longer to cook than other dried beans, so it may take a little more than an hour. Just remember that cooking them a little too long is better than not cooking them long enough.

There are a lot of things you can do with chickpeas; toss them into a salad, add them to soup or pasta, or even eat them plain. But some of my favorite things make to with chickpeas are hummus, falafel, and a chickpea sanwich spread; which are the things I will tell you about today.

Tahini

The first thing you need to know about is tahini. Tahini is a major ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. I know... tahini is not made out of chickpeas. However, tahini goes hand in hand with these delicious beans and is a key ingredient in hummus. It can be a little difficult to find tahini in stores, especially if you live in a small town. It's also pricey which is what kept me away from it for such a long time. But, good news folks! You can make your own tahini at home! Once I figured out what tahini actually was, I was sad to think about all of the hummus I could have been making. It's SO easy! Tahini is nothing more than a toasted sesame seed paste.

Here is a recipe for tahini;

2 C. raw sesame seeds

1/4 C. olive oil

Heat a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Pour in the sesame seeds and toast them for 2-3 minutes. You will know when they are ready when they are lightly browned and begin to release their 'toasted aroma'.

Put the toasted sesame seeds into a food processor and blend while adding the olive oil. You may need to add a tad bit more oil, but only do so about a teaspoon at a time until it is well-blended. It will be more grainy than smooth... that's OK, it's supposed to be like that!

You can store your tahini in the refrigerator for a month - sometimes even longer.

OK. Now that you know how to make your very own tahini, you'll want to use some in your very own hummus! I just love hummus, I could eat it on anything. It's great as a dip with pretzels, pita chips, vegetables, and even potato chips. You can toast slices of baguette bread and top the slices with hummus and a slice of fresh tomato. YUM-O!

But of course, you'll need to make the hummus first.. here's how;

1 can chickpeas - or 2 C. dried chickpeas (cooked, of course)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 C. tahini

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 C. lemon juice - freshly squeezed is best

Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid. In your food processor, add salt, tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and about 1/4 C. of the liquid from the chickpeas. Process all of the ingredients together until smooth. Add more of the chickpea liquid if it's not yet smooth enough.

This is just a basic hummus recipe, you can add more of any ingredient to adjust to your taste preference. You can also add things like, roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, or fresh herbs to add more flavor. Be creative!

Now it's time to make falafel! In case you're not sure what falafel is, it's a popular Middle Eastern dish. You can eat it as is, or eat it with hummus or tahini. Falafel is great on salads, and is delicious in a pita pocket with lettuce, tomato and tahini added (I also like it with my homemade mayo.. but we'll save that for another post). Egypt's McDonald's even serves falafel sandwiches - the McFalafel! (not kidding)

The following is my very own falafel recipe. I don't want to toot my own horn, but this recipe makes the most delicious falafel I have ever tasted! (TOOT TOOT!!)
1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp. Cornmeal
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Egg White (or a whole egg)
1 Spoonful sour cream
1 Tbsp. Dried Parsley
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Ground Coriander

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Black Pepper

Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

Heat a little bit of oil (enough for frying) in a skillet. Meanwhile, put all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. You can also mash with a potato masher, but this is a lot more work and you'll have to be sure and mince the garlic and onions too. When the oil is heated, spoon batter into skillet to make 2-3" patties. Fry on each side until both sides are browned. Tada!! That's it, folks :)

Before I end this post, I wanted to give you a simple and versatile recipe for a chickpea sandwich spread. It's easy peasy and perfect for a last minute lunch. Get a can of Garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained) and mash them up with a potato masher or a fork. Mix with mayo, relish, diced onions, and salt and pepper. This is made pretty much the same way you would make tuna salad and there are all sorts of things you can add to it to spice it up.... Be Creative!!!

Hope you enjoyed today's post and I promise to try and keep posting as often as I can. Have a beautiful day!