In my search for healthy and cheap meals, I have come up with a couple of chickpea recipes that are not only budget friendly, but tasty and highly nutritious. Being prepared with homemade chicken broth, they provide a whole range of nutrients at a fairly affordable price.
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, by themselves, are quite mild. When combined with onions, spices, and other tasty morsels, they can be made into completely flavorful dishes. The effort to improve them is worth it, as they are one of the least expensive sources of important nutrients.
Being one of the most nutritious vegetables of all, they are rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus and are loaded with iron and vitamin C. They contain B vitamins, as well as being rich in fatty acids.
A note of caution if you are going to make chickpeas a staple of your diet, as they are in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. Chickpeas are rich in omega-6 fatty acids compared to omega-3. Therefore, they should be balanced with good sources of omega-3s, such as adding flaxseed to breads and pancakes or taking cod liver oil.
I can buy 5 pounds of organically grown dried chickpeas for $19.10. That’s about 13 cups of dry beans. After soaking to rehydrate the beans, those 13 cups swell to about 39 cups. There aren’t many other sources of a nutrient-packed cup for less than 50 cents!
If you plan to incorporate chickpeas into your diet, it is important to neutralize the phytic acids they contain, which are antinutrients. They can combine with minerals and make them indigestible, which could cause deficiencies.
This really isn’t a problem if you start with organic dry beans. They should be placed in hot water, not quite boiling, and soaked at room temperature for 24 hours so that they rehydrate anyway. So adding a couple of tablespoons per cup of a source of acidity like buttermilk, vinegar, lemon juice, or kefir is not a problem and will neutralize the phytic acid.
The chickpeas should then be placed in salted water at a teaspoon per cup and boiled, skimmed and then simmered for about 6 hours or until soft. This can be reduced to about 20 minutes in a pressure cooker if you use one.
Once I have prepared the basic recipe, I usually make a chickpea soup or a main dish with chickpeas and ground beef.
The interpreters of the cream of chickpeas are the following:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 butter spoons
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cups fresh garden tomatoes or a can of whole organic tomatoes, chopped
6 cups of basic chickpeas (start with 2 cups of dried chickpeas)
1 quart of chicken broth
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
A bunch of kale, Swiss chard, or spinach (whatever you have on hand) torn or cut into small pieces
I start with a pot big enough for the soup and sauté the onions and garlic in the butter and olive oil over low heat for about 15 minutes. I add everything else except kale or whatever I’m using for a vegetable and simmer for about 40 minutes.
If I add kale I give it about 10 minutes, less for chard and less for spinach. I adjust it so the total simmer time is about 50 minutes.
This is where my hand mixer comes in handy. I initially bought it to make Castile soap, but it sure is great for making cream of soup. You just have to be a little careful with the boiling soup. For starters, I just pulse it in short bursts to get a feel for how it works.
If you don’t have a stick blender, you can achieve the same result in a traditional blender or food processor. However, it is safer to make in small batches once it has cooled down a bit. If, like me, you really like creamy soups, this is a great kitchen gadget to have on hand.
The performers for the chickpea and ground beef are as follows:
6 cups of basic chickpeas
1 1/2 cups millet
3 medium onions finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 butter spoons
10 cups of chicken broth or beef broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 head of broccoli, bunch of kale, Swiss chard, or spinach (whatever you have on hand)
1 to 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
Millet should be placed in hot, not boiling, water with 3 tablespoons of buttermilk, vinegar, or lemon juice and soaked at room temperature for 8 hours or more. I use a pot big enough for the works and sauté the onions and ground beef in the oil and butter. Then I add 8 cups of broth and after boiling I add the millet after draining it. Stirring with a whisk prevents the millet from clumping together.
Meanwhile, I melt 1/4 cup butter in another smaller pot and add 1/4 cup flour and stir until smooth. Then I slowly add the other 2 cups of broth to make the sauce.
I add the remaining ingredients to the large pot except the vegetables and simmer for about 30 minutes. After adding whatever vegetables I have on hand, I let them simmer until tender.
It is now ready to serve under gravity. The rest can be poured into serving-size containers and soaked in sauce before freezing. Having hearty dinners like this in the freezer that only needs to be thawed and heated is so convenient.
We all know that if we don’t have something healthy and quick to prepare on hand, we are much more likely to buy something processed when we are in a hurry. Maintaining a healthy and affordable diet requires a bit of planning. But is it worth it!
