Garbanzo Beans

The Garbanzo bean, also called a chick pea, is gaining popularity. I have always liked them but used to think they were only for salads. A couple years ago I found a great low fat Hummus recipe in my WW cookbook and started making it. Even my hubby, who is not a garbanzo lover, likes my hummus. I began to explore other uses and found some interesting recipes.
Tonight I was the cook at one of our International Cooking Nights we have through our church. I decided to share some of the recipes that I have found using this great "bean".
In doing some research for the class I found that this is one of the healthiest "beans". It is high in fiber, high in iron, can help lower cholesterol, low on the glycemic index, and one of the highest protein plant foods. It has many other great features as well.
So here are the three recipes I shared tonight. They all got rave reviews.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
1 Tbsp. chili seasoning
2 Tbsp. olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss chick peas with chili seasoning and olive oil. Spread out in a single layer on a nonstick jelly roll pan. Place on the center rack of the oven and roast 40-50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
The chickpeas are done when they are browned and taste crispy. If they're still soft in the center, continue roasting in 5-minute increments until done. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately. Roasted garbanzo beans do not keep well, even in an air-tight container.



Hummus

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
½ cup plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In a food processor or blender, puree all the ingredients until blended, but still a little chunky.
Serve with pita chips or vegetables.

I served this with homemade pita chips - just cut pita bread in 8ths and split it. Lay the bread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. You can also put olive oil and other seasoning on the bread before toasting but I prefer mine plain.


Indian Cauliflower Curry Stew

I got this recipe from Good Housekeeping magazine. It is a great vegetarian dish but you could add meat (chicken or pork) if you just had to have meat with it. I added a little more curry than it called for and did the final cooking just until the cauliflower was done - the 15 to 20 minutes final cook time is a little to long in my opinion

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
salt
2 ½ cups vegetable broth
1 medium head cauliflower (2 lbs) cut into small florets (4 ½ cups)
2 15 oz cans Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
¼ cup plain low fat yogurt plus additional for serving
1 ½ cups brown rice

In 6 quart Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high until hot. Add carrots and onion, and cook 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, prepare rice as label directs; keep warm.

Stir ginger, curry, and ¾ teaspoon salt into carrot mixture; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth; cover and heat to boiling on high. Stir in cauliflower and garbanzo beans; cover and cook on medium 15 to 20 minutes longer, gently stirring every 5 minutes until cauliflower is tender.

To serve, stir chopped cilantro and ¼ cup yogurt into cauliflower stew. Spoon rice into serving bowls; top with stew. Serve cauliflower stew with additional yogurt to dollop on top if you like. Makes about 8 cups.

Holiday Appetizers

Each month a group of ladies from our church get together for a cooking class. As we have many countries and cultures represented in our church these are usually recipes and foods from other lands. This month I was asked to be the guest cook. It won't be to international but I am going to make and share the recipes for several appetizers. It seems that during the Holidays there are always occasions to take a yummy appetizer. Here are some of the recipes I will be making and sharing tonight.

The first one is a low fat Hummus. I love Hummus but always balk at buying the pre-made ones because of the fat content. I found this one in one of my WW cookbooks and love it! It is really very tasty! I serve it with Baked Pita Bread. One of the keys to this recipe being good is the yougurt. I use Nancy's. I have tried other ones but it has not tasted as good. It needs to be a good quality plain yogurt.

Hummus

1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a food processor or blender, puree all the ingredients until blended, but still a little chunky.

Serve with Baked Pita Chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each bread round horizontally in half, then cut each half into 8 wedges. Arrange pita triangles on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. If you like, before baking spray olive oil on wedges and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and/or garlic powder.


I love this recipe for Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash ground pepper

Boil spinach and artichoke hearts in a cup of water in small saucepan over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Heat cream cheese in small bowl in microwave on high for 1 minute. Add spinach and artichoke hearts to the cream cheese and stir well. Add remaining ingredients to the cream cheese and combine. Serve hot. Serve with crackers, chips or sliced, toasted bread.

I have a little crockpot that I like to put this in. I can keep it warm and take it with me if the party is away.

Another recipe that is a nice low fat one and maybe more a summer recipe but I like it anytime of the year is Chunky Artichoke Salsa

1 jar (6.5 oz) marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 cup pitted black olives, chopped
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
3 medium plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, snipped
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Drain marinade from artichokes into medium mixing bowl. Chop artichoke hearts, olives, onions and tomotoes; add to marinade in bowl. Press garlic into vegetables; add basil and mix gently. Season with salt and pepper.

This one is great served with the Baked Pita Chips as well!

I will add a couple more later. Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!