The Closet Extrovert

I made this dish for the first time last night and let it marinate, by lunchtime today it was even more delicious than I had anticipated.

Garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) are have a wonderful nut-like flavor and are found in a wide variety of dishes, from soups and salads to Middle Eastern classics like hummus and falafel. They are a good source of folate, molybdenum, potassium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, calcium, vitamins E an B6, and fiber. Combined with whole grains such as rice, garbanzos provide a low fat, high quality protein meal.

Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad

This high protein, fresh tasting, vegetarian salad is very quick and easy to prepare. It can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator, getting more flavorful the longer it marinates. Using fresh herbs and a small amount extra virgin olive oil makes this a healthier salad than many of those with high fat dressings without losing flavor.

Yield: Serves 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (or use fresh)
• 2/3 cup scallions, chopped
• 3 medium cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 medium ripe tomato with seeds removed, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup black olives, diced
• 3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-1/2 Tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• Sea salt, to taste
• Cracked peppercorns or freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. That’s it!

Serving Suggestion: Marinate overnight to bring out the best flavor. Serve on bed of chopped romaine lettuce and sprinkle with low-fat feta cheese.

Low sodium tip: Most canned garbanzos are packed in a salt solution, so rinse well if you are using these. Alternately, if you don’t mind doing a little advance preparation, I recommend starting with dried garbanzos instead of canned. The final dish will taste better, too!

To prepare dried garbanzos, pick them over to remove any debris then soak them overnight. When ready, drain them and transfer to a medium pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until garbanzos are tender and skins begin to fall off, about 50 minutes. Drain well and set them aside to let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel the garbanzos, discarding skins.

Source: This recipe is originally from the World’s Healthiest Foods website; I have modified it somewhat.