Fiber & Flashbacks

Do you ever eat chickpeas?

They're also called garbanzo beans, but that doesn't sound nearly as cute as chickpeas.

If I ever start an all-girl band, I'm definitely calling it Lindsey & The Chickpeas.

Like Jesse & The Rippers, or Jem & The Holograms, only with more fiber.















Anyway, back to the pea-that's-sort-of-a-bean.  They're sort of awesome.  I love chickpeas (in order of importance) because they're cheap, versatile, high fiber, decent on protein, and cheap.

Seriously, one can is just a buck.  Go try this recipe.

Fried Chickpea Pitas with Lime Tzatziki  adapted from Cooking Light May 2013
-1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
-1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
-2 teaspoons lime juice
-Pinch of salt
-1/4 teaspoon chopped jar garlic
-1/2 a cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
-6 whole wheat pita pockets (12 halves)
-2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed and laid out on a paper towel to dry
-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 teaspoon paprika
-1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-3 cups loosely packed spinach or arugula

1. Combine yogurt, mint, lime juice, pinch of salt, garlic, and cucumber in a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add chickpeas and saute 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and kind of crispy, stirring frequently.
3. Remove chickpeas and place on a dry paper towel.  Once they've slightly cooled, dump in a bowl and add cumin, paprika, and red pepper.  Toss well until evenly coated.
4. Whisk together lemon juice with remaining tablespoon of oil and pepper.  Add spinach/arugula and toss to coat.
5. Fill each pita half with chickpeas, spinach/arugula, and tzatziki sauce.

Per serving (2 half pockets): 370 calories, 57 g carbs, 10 g fat (mostly heart healthy kind), 16 g protein, and 10 g fiber.