Quick, easy, delicious: chick peas

For whatever reason, there's a never ending supply of chickpeas in my house. My mom refuses to let us buy canned ones so she we have gigantic bins of dried chickpeas in the basement which we then have to soak and boil. Personally, I'd rather my preparation of a chickpea meal include a can opener but it is what it is. Now it's already a well-known fact that these beans are amazing. Hello, hummus anyone? Definitely my number one favorite meal (yes, I can eat a bowl of it for dinner). Since they're easy to cook and fill me up fast, I love making dishes that involve them. Even if it means sprinkling them with cumin and salt and calling it a day.

Here's a list of some chickpea dishes I've put together over the last couple of weeks. And don't forget to check out my chickpea & fish stirfry!

Lunch: Mint & cinnamon chickpeas, grapes, carrots & cucumber with hummus, and greek yogurt with goji berries, raisins, walnuts & honey

Mint & cinnamon chickpeas

• Sautée 3 cloves of garlic and a small onion in olive oil, salt and pepper
• Add kernels of corn (canned or fresh - I just cut them right off a raw ear of corn), diced zucchini (yellow or green), and diced tomato and let it simmer
• Throw in some fresh mint leaves and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, let it simmer on low-medium heat
• If you like spice, add in 1/4 tsp chili powder. Otherwise, use 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/2 paprika. I used a chili paste my dad made this summer
• Serve hot or cold

Chickpeas with tomato and basil

Lunch: chickpeas, tomatoes & basil with stuffed grape leaves

• Dice onion and crush garlic, sautée with olive oil
• Chop up tomato in big chunks, add to onion and garlic
• Add basil leaves and chickpeas
• Let simmer for 10 minutes
• Serve hot or cold

Chickpea and ground beef salad 

• Fry up ground beef with spices and pine nuts
• Chop up green onions, radish, carrots and add to bowl
• Mix in chick peas and ground beef
• Squeeze lime and add cumin, curry, salt and pepper

And of course: Hummus

• Crush up 4-5 cloves of garlic and squeeze 1 full lemon
• Mix in 1tbsp of tahini and some salt
• Add 1 cup of chickpeas and blend until soft (I use a handheld mixer)
• Keep tasting/adding until you're satisfied! I like it very garlic-y
• Sprinkle with paprika and serve