Chickpea Tips

Here are two tips regarding chickpeas (garbanzos). I generally cook chickpeas from scratch; this means re-hydrating them in water overnight, then cooking for just 30 min. I learned from Alton Brown to add 1/8th tsp. of baking soda to the peas while cooking. I'm not sure why he suggests this, but I just do it. Then, I sometimes de-husk the peas after cooking, which is beneficial for the following reasons: 1) It makes for a smoother hummus, 2) The peas will be easier to digest! De-husking can be done by gently squeezing a cooked pea between the two forefingers and thumb, the husk will slip right off. Of course, it's tedious to do this, but the benefits are as noted, and if you enlist help it will go faster! In a 1/2 cup dried peas, a surprising portion is actually husk (see the picture below). It's OK to consume the husk, but it's just fiber, with little nutritional value.

1/2 cup chickpeas with husks on the right.

Protein sources

One issue with avoiding the usual protein sources (meat and dairy) is identifying and leveraging alternative ones. I'm personally not a big fan of products that label themselves as vegetarian, yet are fundamentally processed and marketed to be synonymous with meat or dairy (e.g., vegetarian "bacon", "burgers", vegan "eggs" etc.) I'm not saying such products are null and void, I just don't think that's the right approach.

So, with that in mind, here are a few protein options for a reduced (or non) meat and dairy diet:

• Tofu (an obvious choice),Tempeh, Tahini, and Hummus
• Edamame (fresh,frozen, or dried - great for salads, snacking, or as a garnish)
• Quinoa (high in protein for a grain-like ingredient)
• Beans/Legumes (another obvious choice)
• Nuts (often used in the formulation of those veggie "burgers" anyway)

For sure, make sure you get some input from these sources each day, to provide sufficient protein input to your body.