Healthy Chickpea Salad

Photo Credit: Health is Wealth Photos.

One of the healthiest foods you can ever incorporate into your cooking is also one of the most versatile.  Behold, the protein-rich chickpea.

Chickpeas have existed for thousands of years through many cultures and there are traditional recipes using this excellent legume from all over the Earth.  Chickpeas are a mainstay in salads and stews, of their many uses they are shaped into balls for falafels and they are ground into a flour for Indian cuisine, in Burma they are stirred into batter and baked.  Chickpeas have proved to be one of the most malleable and nutritional foods in all of human history.

Besides protein, chickpeas are an excellent source of iron, folate, phosphorus, and dietary fibre. The very little fat chickpeas contain is polyunsaturated and there is compelling evidence that due to this nutrient richness, a diet with chickpeas may lower blood cholesterol.

    




Photo Credit: Health is Wealth Photos.

This is a wonderfully simple chickpea salad that has a tremendously fresh taste.  The basil and cilantro play very nicely with the hearty flavour of the chickpeas.  As with the garlic zucchini noodles with pasta I posted earlier, this is a recipe that allows you to show off your garden produce in the summertime.    



Ingredients: 

• 2 cans of chickpeas, rinse off the chickpeas and drain them
• 1 small green onion 
• 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, both small
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 clove garlic, minced then ground into a paste with salt
• 2 tablespoons basil and cilantro
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pint of cherry tomatos
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Photo Credit: Health is Wealth Photos.

Directions:

• Take the green onion, bell peppers, cucumber, tomatos basil and cilantro and chop them up finely 
• Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Toss with the vinegar and oil then season to taste with salt and pepper
• When tossed well, serve and enjoy!



Bon appétit!





Photo Credit: Health is Wealth Photos.





Photo Credit: Health is Wealth Photos.