The recipe below can be used as a side dish or as a primary dish due to the large amount of protein in chickpeas.
Chickpea Salad is not only delicious, and filling, but it is full of nutritional value, including cancer and disease fighting properties. This salad is great in promoting heart and colon health. Enjoy…
Recipe
(4 servings – 285 calories per serving)
Ingredients
· 1 cup of dry chick peas (or 1 can, preferably low sodium)
· 1 Onion
· 1 medium carrot (6 baby carrots)
· ½ cup of parsley
· 2 tbsp of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
· 1 tbsp of vinegar
Instructions
· Boil 1 cup of chick peas for about 5 minutes and allow the chickpeas to soak for 2 or more hours.
· Pressure cook the chickpeas until soft (about 30 minutes)
· Allow the chickpeas to cool
· Chop the onion, carrot, and parsley and place in a bowl
· Add the chickpeas to the bowl
· Pour in the EVOO and add the salt
· Mix all the ingredients
· That’s it…your done. Enjoy
Nutritional & Health Benefits
· Chickpeas (Main Ingredient)
o Folic Acid (Vitamin B9): helps facilitate many of the body’s processes, including cell maintenance and repair. The benefits of folic acid include preventing colon cancer and heart disease.
o Fiber: We all know that fiber helps regulate bowel movements and remove toxic waste from the bowels much quicker, but it also helps prevent many chronic diseases and cancers, especially colon and breast. It helps reduce bad cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease. It also can help reduce blood sugar levels, making this a great choice for diabetics.
o Protein: The chickpea is a great choice for vegan/vegetarians since it is high in protein. Your body uses protein to build and repair body tissue. It is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Along with fat and carbohydrates, protein is a macronutrient meaning that your body requires larger amounts of it.
o Low-fat: This is a low-fat food…need I say more?
· Onion:
o Antiseptic: Onions have an antibacterial and antifungal property. These properties support cancer prevention, especially colon, as it helps suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon. It has always been used as a natural remedy to help with inflammation and infections.
o Lowers Blood Pressure and prevents cardiovascular disease
o Iron: Helps deliver oxygen to the blood. This is a great food for those who battle with anemia.
o Low Glycemic Index: Small fluctuations in our blood glucose levels. This is great for diabetics because it not only helps control your blood sugar by causing small fluctuations, but it can also help bring down insulin levels. (much like chickpeas)
· Carrots:
o Beta Carotene: It’s not an old wives tale, carrots do help your vision. Beta Carotene also is instrumental in supporting a healthy colon and sugar level.
o Farcarinal: What???? I know I had never heard of this either, but it’s what give carrots the ability to reduce the risk of many cancers, especially colon.
o Vitamin A: Great vitamin to promote healthy lungs. Studies have shown that by eating one carrot a day, you can reduce the risk of getting lung cancer by 50%.
· Parsley:
o Antioxidants: Free radical can cause a destructive process in our cells, causing the molecules within the cells to become unstable. Antioxidants stop this cellular chain reaction of oxidation by neutralizing the free radicals. Antioxidants stop this cellular chain reaction of oxidation by neutralizing the free radicals.
o Vitamin C: Helps support a healthy immune system
o Beta Carotene: Please see above (carrots)
o Folic Acid: Please see above (Chickpeas)
· Olive Oil:
o Fatty acids: Helps prevent blood from clotting. It helps lower triglycerides and raise good cholesterol.
o Antioxidants: Please see above (Parsley)
o Gallstones: Helps lower the incidence of gallstone formation
o Colon: Helps prevent colon cancer
o Vitamins E, K, A
