www.chickpeaandherb.com

Chickpeas: a Beginner’s Guide to Vegan Protein

by


Okay, so with a blog named Chickpea & Herb, you may have guessed I’m a sucker for chickpeas. I seriously love them, and honestly, I can’t think of a thing about them not to love. They’re versatile, full of protein, and seriously delicious. If you’re not quite as on board as I am, maybe you haven’t had the right chickpea? Read below for recipes, how-to hacks, and interesting uses you may not have considered before.

Chickpeas are perfect little protein vessels, that wow party guests as the star of pretty mezze platters, work perfectly on salads, flawlessly adapt into salad dressings and pasta sauces, and even somehow morph into vegan ‘tuna salads’ or ‘crab cakes.’

WHAT ARE CHICKPEAS?

Read about the health benefits of chickpeas here

Chickpeas are in the legume family, the same classification as beans, peas, lentils, soybeans, and peanuts. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber, glorious chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a GIFT.

A 1/2 cup serving contains about 12 grams of protein, which is more than tofu. The average female needs about 43 grams of protein a day, so if you opt for chickpeas for lunch, you’re almost a third of the way there. That is if you only eat 1/2 cup at a time. I find myself always loading up my bowl because I can’t get enough. Chickpeas also offer up 8 grams of fiber, keeping you fuller longer.

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT CHICKPEAS


Slow Cooker Chickpeas

If using a slow cooker, add 2 cups dried chickpeas, 6 cups of water, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper (and even 5-8 garlic cloves if you’d like) to your slow cooker and cook on high for 6-7 hours.

Chickpeas in a Pressure Cooker/ Instant Pot

You can follow the same recipe and cook in a pressure cooker for about 27 minutes or until soft. It helps to soak for at least an hour before hand if using this method because they can often come out on the underdone side, which leads to chunky hummus or hard to chew salad toppers.

Canned

If using canned, simply drain and rinse, there is not need to cook these. It’s possible to use them on salads or other in hummus without having to heat first.

Easy Ways to Use Chickpeas

Roast:


Once your chickpeas are drained and rinsed, sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other herbs and spices you like. Bake in the oven or toaster oven at 350° for about 15 minutes until slightly browned and crispy. I like to add garlic powder and turmeric to mine before roasting, then keep in the fridge for up to a week or two to top salads and other meals. You can also toss in sesame seeds, or even maple syrup for a sweet treat. These crispy chickpeas are excellent on roasted sweet potatoes with tahini, and to replace croutons in soups.

Salads & Toasts

Chickpeas are of course good on every salad from the classic Greek to vegan Caesar salads, I love them on toast too, crunchy roasted chickpeas with savory mushrooms and herbs or avocado. Check out a few creative toast recipes here.

Hummus

One of my favorite ways to eat chickpeas, would have to be hummus. I mean, we all know hummus is good as is, and is the most perfect and versatile dip. This creamy goodness is also a magical treat first thing in the morning on homemade toast, which I’m sure you saw if you skimmed that toast post in the previous paragraph.

Grazing Boards & Mezze Platters

Hummus also wows as a star on grazing boards, and it’s super fun because you can change it up depending on what other veggies you have around. Sure we’ve all heard of roasted red pepper hummus, but how about beet root hummus, turmeric hummus, cauliflower hummus? These are all super yummy and have their own healthy benefits. Cut up some cucumbers, carrots, celery, and bell peppers an keep in the fridge for easy snacking.

Chickpea Pasta


DSC_1870.jpg

Chickpeas are even great in pastas as a source of protein. Check out this easy weeknight penne marinara that’s on the table in 30 minutes and is loaded with garden fresh veggies. The veggies can change based on your grocery haul that week, but the chickpeas are the easiest and most nutrient dense part of the dish.

Chickpea Tuna Salad

You can make make chickpeas taste like tuna by simply adding a little kelp powder. It definitely sounds weird, but once you have a bottle, it’s hard not to put it on everything. Here’s my easy vegan tuna salad recipe, and bonus – it’s kid approved.

Other Chickpea Recipe Ideas

As always, if you make any of these recipes, tag me on Facebook or Instagram, and let me know how it goes! You can also check out my Pinterest page for more easy weeknight dinner inspiration and ideas about ways to use the chickpeas in your life! I’ve linked my Instagram account below in case you’re looking for some other fresh and easy dinner ideas.

If you have questions, leave me a comment here or shoot me an email, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Vegan brown butter sage garlic cream fusilli pasta || I’ve been seeing a lot of pasta Sundays going around the Internet lately, so I decided to join in! we spent the day working on house projects and gardening, then finished with some yummy food on the grill, which I will add to my stories now. I’m going to leave you with this 🔥 pasta from earlier in the week that was a total hit in my house. Here is an easy dinner that is a sure fire way to get in all of your veggies, and takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I’ve included the recipe below in case you want to hit save so you have it on hand for later. 1/2 cup onion, diced 6 to 10 clothes of garlic, diced 2 tablespoons olive oil (read below for oil free option) 1 tbsp dried sage 2 tablespoons vegan butter (I used @earthbalance) 1/2 cup red bell peppers, diced finally 3/4 cup baby button mushrooms, have 1/2 cup broccoli, diced finally 1 cup kale, shredded 1/4 cup frozen peas 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced finally 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup nutritional yeast or vegan mozzarella 🔷 Begin boiling water in large pot. Be sure to add a pinch of salt to the water- this is for flavor and also keeps your pasta from sticking together. 🔷Once water reaches a boil, add pasta. Dice onions, garlic, and sauté with sage over medium heat in a large pan for 5 minutes. If you are oil free, you can sauté in veggie stock or aquafaba. 🔷 Add in butter at this stage, and diced mushrooms and peppers. 🔷 Add and sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, kale, and peas, as well as spices. 🔷When pasta is finished cooking, drain all of the water except for 1/2 cup. 🔷Add 1/2 cup starchy water along with pasta to the large pan with veggies in it. 🔷Add in nutritional yeast or mozzarella at this point and stir until the sauce thickens. 🔷 I topped mine with hot pepper flakes and parsley, but you can also top with more cheese, pinenuts, fresh tomatoes, etc. We also used beyond sausage or protein, but this pasta would be awesome with white beans, chickpeas, or tempeh. Simply cook them in the pot along with all of the veggies to absorb that flavor. Let me know if you try this!

Homemade veggie burgers with red pepper jam and crispy Brussels sprouts || Who doesn’t love a black bean sweet potato burger? These had a great texture and held together perfectly on the grill. I topped them with vegan feta, red onions, collard greens, vegan mayo, and a red pepper jam that I made by boiling down some older looking red peppers, adding a pinch of sugar and @kartago_harissa. ✨I am including the recipe for the burgers below in case anybody would like to click save to have on hand for later. ▫️2 cups roasted sweet potatoes ▫️1 1/4 cup cooked rice ▫️1/2 cup black beans, drained ▫️1 cup roasted cauliflower ▫️1 cup roasted eggplant ▫️1/2 cup peas ▫️1/2 cups corn kernels ▫️1 cup walnuts ▫️1 teaspoon liquid aminos or soy sauce ▫️3/4 teaspoon salt ▫️1/3 teaspoon pepper ▫️1 teaspoon paprika ▫️1 tablespoon flax seeds ▫️1 tablespoon garlic powder roast the eggplant, cauliflower, chopped sweet potatoes on a baking sheet at 400° for 30 minutes. I used leftover rice from takeout, but you can boil rice and use that if you’d like. Toss all ingredients into a food processor or blender, then form into patties and bake at 350° for 25 minutes in the oven or on the grill. For the brussels sprouts the recipe is: ▫️about 15 brussels sprouts cut in half ▫️2 teaspoons olive oil ▫️1/2 teaspoon salt ▫️1/2 teaspoon pepper ▫️1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers ▫️1/4 teaspoon oregano ▫️1/2 teaspoon garlic powder ▫️1 teaspoon onion powder ▫️1 teaspoon brown sugar Toss in olive oil and spices, then pan crisp or roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 400°.

20 minute healthy sweet potato cookies || Happy Fridaaaaaay!! Eat some cookies y’all, they’re good for you 😘 Link for the #recipea is in the bio.

Sun-dried tomato, cucumber, and chickpea picnic salad || Everyone keeps asking what they should bring to barbecues this summer, and I think this might be your answer. This is a super simple salad to rustle up, doesn’t spoil in the heat, and tastes delicious. I’m including the recipe in case you want to click save to have it on hand next time you’re headed to a cookout. 2 cups cooked Farro (or rice, orzo, quinoa, couscous, etc.) 2 cups cooked white beans 1 cup artichoke hearts, halved 1/3 cup onion, diced 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced 2 cups cucumbers, diced 1 cup celery, diced 1 cup spinach, chopped 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic 1 teaspoon oregano I will have more step-by-step directions up on the blog tomorrow! Does this salad seem like something you would be interested in? What kinds of summer barbecue foods would you like recipes for? Enjoy your grilling!

Homemade sourdough with almond butter, Maca powder, kiwi, strawberry, and hemp seeds || So I think I missed toast Tuesday, but honestly every day is toast Tuesday in my house because I’ve been on a serious sourdough kick. If you check out my website, I have a ton of awesome bread recipes, but no sourdough recipes yet because I’m relatively new to the game. But honestly I’m in love. One of my friends dropped off a sourdough starter during quarantine, and there’s been no looking back since. I topped this toast with some almond butter I had mixed with @shopkarenberrios Maca powder. If you guys aren’t familiar with Maca, it’s a delicious Peruvian super food full of health benefits. It’s rich in antioxidants, and is a great source of protein, minerals, amino acids and is great for energy support, and has a rich nutty flavor.

Skinny sip tea with forget-me-not, hibiscus, Jasmine, rose, rosemary, and lemon|| Are you guys team tea? I remember having tea at my grandma’s house throughout my childhood, iced in the summer and hot in the winter, so it always carries a special memory for me. I love perusing tea shops on vacations and bringing home exotic flavors of loose leaf to remember the trip. @essencesiptea was so kind to let me try their incredible teas. This Skinny Sip tea clears toxins, reduces fluid retention, alleviates indigestion, reduces bloating, and targets existing fats. It uses traditional Chinese medicine principles and balances with natural herbs to nourish and cleanse your digestive system. Plus it is gorgeous to look at, which you know I’m all about. It tastes floral and delicate, and I am in love. If you’d like to try this tea, you can use my code chickpea_and_herb10 for 10% off your first order. #takeasip

Vegan chickpea ‘tuna’ on homemade potato bread, #recipea on the blog now || Such an easy, protein filled lunch, that’s even kid approved! Check the link in my bio to see how to make this meal. We had a great weekend celebrating Father’s Day. We drove to the mountains to visit my family, and saw some of my girlfriends from high school Friday night. We then went on a really great hike with the family on Saturday and did a bunch of grilling, because how else do you please dads? Then yesterday we saw my husband’s family and picked lots of fresh blueberries. Any suggestions for what I should do with them? How were your weekends, what did you do to celebrate?

Grilled apricot and okra kale salad with blackberries || Happy summer solstice! To celebrate, some of my foodie friends and I have gotten together and created some gorgeous summer dishes for you to feast your eyes on. Follow the hashtag #plantbasedsolstice to see more inspired summer meals that really celebrate the season! For this dish, I picked kale fresh from the garden, and then grilled apricots, okra, and corn with the husk on (let me know if you would like a tutorial on this!). I then added fresh blackberries, fresh red onion, vegan ricotta cheese, celery, kale sprouts, and avocado. I topped it with homemade seitan for protein and drizzled the whole thing with a vinaigrette made from olive oil, oat milk, poppyseeds, maple syrup, and garlic. This was such a fresh and fun meal, and I could eat it again and again. What are your favorite summer dishes?