meatless monday

I am a huge advocate of Meatless Monday.
Check out this article on reasons why it is such a great thing to incorporate into your life:
Civil Eats, Meatless Monday.

Good for you.  Good for the earth.
And a good practice in incorporating more veggies (& creativity!) into a meal.

Recipe: Savory Chickpea Cake Salad

I came across this recipe from the site Would Rather Gather and do have to say it makes a great case for a Meatless Monday. I tweaked it a little bit here, because I didn't have a few of the ingredients the original recipe called for, and it came out to be super easy, inexpensive, and absolutely delicious.

For the chickpea cakes (serves 2):

• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup minced organic red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp of olive oil & 1 tbsp of butter
• 14 oz. can of organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 tbsp of parsley (fresh & organic preferred, but dried is fine)
• 1 tbsp organic ketchup
• 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in a pan and add the onions, red peppers, and garlic (you can add red chili flakes if you prefer a bit of spiciness). saute over medium heat until onions are soft and then set aside. drain the chickpeas and, in a medium size bowl, mash using the back of a fork until mostly smooth. add the onion and red pepper mixture, breadcrumbs, parsley, and ketchup (salt & pepper as you like). when all the ingredients are well mixed, pack mixture into tiny cakes with your hands (as if making hamburgers). coat the bottom of a pan (about 1/4 inch) with olive oil and bring to medium heat. add chickpea cakes and fry about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. drain on paper towel.

I had my chickpea cakes over a salad of spinach & arugula, with cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. they are also a delicious substitute for a burger, and are even great plain. 

Chickpeas are a great source of protein while being low in fat. They are also high in Folic Acid & fiber. I also read that chickpeas are high in Molybdenum- which allows the body to detoxify sulfates commonly found in wine. Thus, you can enjoy a glass or two! Happy Meatless Monday!