Chickpea, the Star Legume: Chickpeas and Tomatoes Salad

Chickpeas, an ancient legume originated from Turkey more than 7,600 years ago, is in the family of Fabaceae.  Chickpea seeds are rich in protein.  Other common names of the Chickpea are Garbanzo bean, Ceci bean, Chana, Hummus and Bengal gram.  The word Chickpea traces back to the French Chiche, or Latin Cicer.  

There are two types of Chickpeas: Desi, the small and darker seeds with a rough coat.  It has a higher content of fiber than Kabuli, a lighter color and larger seed chickpeas with smooth coats.  With a higher fiber content, Desi has a lower glycemic index than the Kabuli chickpeas.

In ancient times, chickpeas were believed to increase sperm and milk production, they were used to treat kidney stones and to regulate menstrual cycles.  They are used widely in different cuisines such as Hummus in the Middle East, hot dishes and soup in Portugal, many popular dishes in India and even dessert in the Philippines.  During World War 1, roasted chickpeas were used to substitute for coffee in Germany.  Chickpeas are used in veggie burgers as a low calorie, low fat alternative to ground beef.  Unlike eggs or meat that provide all the essential amino acids to the body and therefore are considered a “complete” protein, the chickpea provides only some amino acids; other proteins during the day will be needed to supply the others.  

A cup of chickpeas has 730 calories with 20% or 14. 5 grams of protein, 15% fat, 65% carbohydrate and 35 grams of fiber.  Since chickpeas are so rich in fiber, eating chickpeas might make you feel full for a long time.  For every 1,000 calories we consume, we should have 14 grams of fiber.  Just a 1/2 cup of chickpeas gives you half of your day’s fiber requirement. It is not difficult to understand why chickpeas help lower cholesterol levels and promote heart health!

One cup of chickpeas also provides 26% daily value of iron, 17% zinc, 10% potassium, 28% phosphorus and 71% daily value of folate.  It is also a good source of calcium. 

Below is a delicious recipe from Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray’s wonderful cookbook “The New Jewish Table.”  Mr Gray owns the famous restaurant “Equinox”.  I made this salad for Sandy’s preschool teacher Mrs Iyer and her husband when they visited us last weekend at our Chesapeake bay house.  Since I didn’t have red onion and mint, I substituted those ingredients with sweet vidalia onion and a mixture of fresh oregano and basil from our backyard. I also added more cherry tomatoes than called for since we like tomatoes.  In my opinion, it is always appropriate to modify a recipe to suit your taste! 

My husband David, for example, has a taste “aversion” to olives, so I did not add olives to this salad.  All of us agreed this wonderful salad is great in the summer when the cherry tomatoes and herbs in your garden are at their peak!  I agree, however, with Mr. Todd Gray that this salad can be an all season dish since mint and parsley, other good substitutes, can be found in any season.  We hope you enjoy this easy to make yet incredibly healthy and tasty salad! 

CHICKPEA SALAD WITH FETA CHEESE AND MINT

Makes About 6 Cups

Ingredients:

Two 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

1 cup very thinly sliced red onion (about 1 small onion)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese ( 2 ounces)

1/4 cup slivered black olives 

2 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise, including part of the green (1/4 cup)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves ( In our dish, I used fresh oregano and basil and  it tasted great!)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place the chickpeas in a medium-size bowl.  Add the tomatoes (hold these aside if making ahead of time so they don’t get mushy),onions, cheese, olives, scallions, mint, and garlic; stir to mix.  In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Pour over the chickpea salad and stir to mix well.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving; if you held the tomatoes aside, mix them in about 30 minutes before serving.