Chickpea Salad - Easy Vegan Dish

Since I became a vegetarian I've been learning how to cook with dry beans and lentils. Growing up I wasn’t a big fan of beans, but since I am Cuban my grandmother added beans to her dishes and my mom’s favorite meal is black beans and rice (Moros y Cristianos or Congri). As I begin my vegan journey I’ve grown to appreciate beans and constantly learning new ways cook them. They are full of protein so they keep you full, are versatile so they go with any meal, and dry beans are 100% natural. They are also super cheap! Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are my favorite, so I added some veggies to make a wonderful chickpea salad.

In this recipe I use dry beans but you can substitute for can beans. Most people are afraid to cook dry beans, but it super easy and healthier for you than can beans - just need a little planning. The benefits of eating dry beans (fresh, no BPA, preservatives or chemicals) are well worth the time. A little bit of beans goes a long way because they grow in water. 1/3 cup of dry beans equals 1 cup of cooked beans. 

Grab your beans and veggies and lets make this chickpea dish!


You will need:

1 bag of dry Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)

1 cucumber

1 tomato

1 red onion

1 green pepper

EVO oil 

Optional: Feta cheese or mozzarella cheese

You can add other veggies (corn)

Kitchen items:

Cutting knife and board

Boiling pot

Drainer

Cooking dry beans is easy: rinse, soak, rinse and cook. 
If you are using can beans skip down to step 6.

1. Rinse dry beans 

2. Soak dry beans for 8-12 hours (overnight is best) in a big bowl. Fill the bowl with water and leave plenty of room because they will double in size OR for every 1 cup of dry beans add 2 cups of water

                                   

3. Once they are done soaking, rinse the beans again in cold water

4. Now they are ready to be cooked! 

Add the beans to a big pot. For 1 cup of dry beans add 2 cups of water OR Once in the beans are in water add 2 inches of water above the bean level

5. With a lid, start to cook the chic peas on high heat until it starts to boil, then let it simmer on low heat for 1.5 - 2 hours.  Beans are done once they are tender

6. In the meantime dice vegetables and add to mixing bowl 

 7. Add seasoning and olive oil - (optional: add lemon or lime juice)

8. Once beans are tender, drain and rinse in cold water.

9. Add to diced vegetables and mix

10. The finished dish!

To make the wooden serving piece/coaster checkout my DIY blog post. 

This dish makes an awesome meal, side dish, or salad topper. Beans are loaded with protein so this is a great source of protein for vegetarians/vegans. 

Enjoy!! 

 What are you favorite bean recipes??

Homemade Applesauce

Many people buy prepackaged fruit cups and assume they contain the same nutritional benefits as a piece of fruit. However these products are made with high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and food coloring. Even fruit cups or cans found at the health store contain similar ingredients to stay fresh on the shelf.

Avoid eating prepackaged fruit products by making your own!

Applesauce is the first recipe I made with the crockpot because it was quick and easy. I was hooked on the fresh flavor and soon my natural food journey began. Without corn syrup and other additives the pure taste of real food is amazing. 

I hope you have the same experience! 

You will need:

Apples, peeler, apple slicer (or knife). 

Not pictured: Crock pot and half cup water. 

Optional: Stevia (or sugar) or cinnamon. 

Step 1: Peel the skin off the apples.

Step 2: Cut the apple into pieces and remove the stem and seeds.

Step 3: Put the sliced apples in the crock pot and add 1/2 cup of water for every 10 apples. If you like your applesauce a bit less chunky add 3/4 cup. 

Optional: Add cinnamon and/or sugar to your taste. 

Step 4: Set crock pot to cook for 5 hours on low.

Once in the crock pot your house will smell wonderful like warm apples! 

Step 5: Use a fork to mash apple pieces. 

Step 6: Scoop into a jar once cooled.

Great for snacking! You can make your own individual serving snack cups with this recipe. Just fill small reusable containers and store in the fridge. This saves money and the environment. 

Animal lovers will love this recipe too! Most dogs like apples so it is easy to hide their medicine in applesauce.  Crush their medicine and mix well with the applesauce. This trick works well with children too. You can also add applesauce to your dog’s food or serve as a snack. 

I love applesauce mixed with oatmeal and over my homemade waffles. 

Add applesauce to a fruit or vegetable smoothie or make frozen ice pops!

Applesauce freezes well so you can make a big batch and freeze extras in an airtight container. This is a good idea when apples are in season or if you need to use up apples before they spoil. 

Enjoy!

Check with your vet if it is okay to feed your dog apples and the other ingredients used before feeding them applesauce.