This week’s recipe column I went a little overboard on “eating beans!” Between my family we do a lot of back and forth with bean recipes. The only rule is you have to cook the recipe and then and only then can you share if your family eats and likes it. So far so good. Here are my two recipes that worked.
Chickpea Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Grated Carrots
I am still sticking to my guns when it comes to having an Instant Pot and pressure cooking the beans. To me the texture of the beans is much better, they’re easier to digest and easier on your food budget. The recipe calls for spinach but I used Napa cabbage and doubled the dressing. I made extra and just had the salad without the spinach. It is good either way.
2 medium peeled sweet potatoes, quartered and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp tahini or nut butter of your choice
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup grated peeled carrot
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 cups baby spinach or greens of choice
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Into a large bowl place the sweet potatos pieces and add the olive oil and salt. Toss gently and pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times until the potatoes are tender but firm. Don’t overcook them to mush!
Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the 1 Tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, tahini and black pepper. Add the chickpeas and carrot and stir to coat evenly. Add the fresh herbs, mix in and allow the mixture to marinate while the sweet potatoes are roasting.
When the sweet potatoes are finished roasting remove them from the oven and let them cool. Add the spinach to the chickpea carrot mixture with half of the sweet potatoes and toss very gently. To serve, arrange salad on a large platter and place remaining sweet potato cubes on top.
Chocolate and Orange Chickpea Pudding
This pudding is so easy to make and you will not taste the chickpeas! Trust me on this one. If you don’t blend the pudding until it is really smooth, the little pieces of chickpea throughout the pudding will make you think you are eating nuts. I think it is called “texture.”
1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 banana, peeled (I used the frozen one from my freezer)
4 Medjool dates, pitted
2 Tbsp orange juice
1/4 cup and 1 Tbsp almond milk or your choice
2 Tbsp almond butter or your choice of nut/seed butter (natural)
3 Tbsp cacao powder
1 Tbsp orange zest
In a blender place all the ingredients. Mix to a smooth paste.
Pour into four individual serving glasses and chill for four hours or overnight.
To garnish add a slice of orange or some fresh fruit.
