Vegetarian Cooking With Chickpeas

I cook a lot of vegetarian dishes at home (somewhere around 75%) and for many reasons.

1. I find cooking more plant-based dishes to be both healthy and economical.
2. It’s been my experience that plant-based proteins are easier on my blood sugars - most, but certainly not all of the time - and your diabetes may vary.
3. Most plant-based side dishes/main dishes are easy to prepare, hold up well as leftovers, and can be used for multiple meals.
4. Not having anything to do with nutritional health, I find plant-based dishes are easier to clean up than animal-based protein dishes. For the record, I hate doing dishes!

Chickpeas and my type 2 diabetes diet

One of my favorite legumes and go-to sources for plant-based proteins are chickpeas - also known by a variety of names including but not limited to: chickpea, garbanzo, Egyptian, chole, or chana beans.

Low cost

They are inexpensive (either out of the can or dried beans soaked overnight) and make for excellent and tasty additions to salads, soups, stews, and sauces. Or, I season them with spices, extra virgin olive oil, and roast them to perfection as a snack.

Versatile

Did you know that you can make brownies with chickpeas? It's true! Chickpeas are also the base for the highly tasty, healthy, and popular dip we know as hummus - most excellent when served with veggies, spread on sandwich wraps, pita, or atop rye toast.

Healthy and nutritious

Chickpeas are high in protein, loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals including; potassium, phosphorus, copper, folate, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and selenium, all of which support heart health. For the record, foods high in fiber have been shown to help aid in digestion, weight loss, and may help combat blood glucose spikes.

Studies have shown that foods rich in magnesium, fiber, and potassium have been shown to help promote healthy hearts and reduce high triglycerides.

One half-cup serving of cooked chickpeas contains roughly 143 calories, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 5.3 grams of fiber, 1.4 grams of fat, and almost 6 grams of plant protein.¹