Chickpeas (Garbanzo) salad

Vegetables are very important in our diet and getting right serving per day is difficult sometimes. Salads are the delicious way of getting it .I love salads but the problem is it can’t be taken as a meal alone since they digest very fast .But this chickpeas salad is high in proteins and fiber and it be eaten as a meal and it will keep you fuller for a longer time. I have used dried chickpeas, but you can use the canned ones too , if you don’t have time. You can also add whatever vegetables you like or have in your refrigerator in this salad.

Ingredients

1-2 cups- chickpeas
2-3 cup-Lettuce roughly chopped
½ onion sliced
1 cucumber-thinly sliced
1 carrot- grated or thinly sliced
10 almonds/walnuts-thinly chopped or sliced
¼ cup- raisin/cranberries

Vinaigrette

5 tsp –lime juice
1/2 tsp- Dijon mustard sauce(optional)
3 tsp- olive oil
½ tsp- pepper
Salt to taste

Directions

Soak the chickpeas for 4-8 hrs and pressure cook them in water with little salt added to it.
Drain the chickpeas and allow it to cool .
In a medium bowl , arrange the chopped lettuce on the bottom followed by the cucumber and onions.
Now add the grated carrot along with raisins and chopped nuts.
Add the cooled chickpeas .
Finally pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss it lightly before serving.

Vinaigrette

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice with ,mustard sauce ,salt and pepper.
Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.

Benefits of Chickpeas

Preliminary evidence suggests the consumption of chickpeas may be beneficial for preventing diabetes.
Chickpeas are an excellent source of soluble fiber. In fact, one cup of these nutty tasting legumes supplies almost half a day’s requirement for fiber.
Chickpeas are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid which plays an important role in regulating both mood and sleep.
Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein with fifteen grams in a single cup and it’s a good substitute for the red meat.
It can help to increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism.