If you are not taking advantage of chickpeas in your diet, you are missing out on both health and appetite! These special legumes contain a good amount of vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Plant protein (boosts bone health), folate, potassium, manganese, iron, selenium, vitamins E, A, and C are just a few to mention.^*Consider them as tiny nutrition balls! You can reduce bad cholesterol risk simply by consuming a serving of chickpeas or other healthy legumes such as lentils, beans, and peas on a daily basis.^* However, nourishment is not the only highlight in this case. Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are exceptionally delicious and can play many different roles in your daily food intake.

Let’s talk about their usefulness and adaptability. When it comes to versatility, chickpeas are always on my top ten list! You can easily add them to pasta, salad, soup, and create fancy recipes. Once you get to play around with different recipes, you will notice that chickpeas are highly adaptive with both Western and Eastern food formulas. Plus, they can blend well with a wide range of seasonings including cumin, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, chili, thyme, and more. I use them regularly to spice up so many distinctive meals. Besides, chickpeas are the main ingredient in hummus, which is one of my all-time favorite dips along with guacamole. Please see our quick and tasty hummus recipe article to whirl up some authentic snack for yourself with a snap. Be careful, though, as you might get addicted to it easily!

Eating chickpeas on a regular basis can help you manage weight control, improve digestion, and maintain better vitamin and mineral levels. It is also good to keep low blood sugar levels. On a side note, the fiber content in chickpeas may keep you feeling full for a longer period. That is why hummus is widely used in many popular diets for weight management. Now that you know that it is an advantage to include chickpeas in your diet, let me give you an easy and yummy recipe.

What you will need:

If you are not using canned chickpeas, then it is a good idea to use a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking process. You can cut down on the boiling time considerably. I would recommend the best-seller Instant  Pot Duo with 7 different functions. The company claims that it can make traditional meals 70% faster than old-style cooking methods. It is not only a pressure cooker. You can use it as a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sterilizer, yogurt maker, warmer, and more.

Authentic Chickpeas Meal Recipe

Making boiled chickpeas with tomato sauce is very common where I come from. Add some steamed rice as sides, and it becomes a traditional meal instantly. In fact, there are some restaurants specializing solely in this, and only a few other similar legume meals in my hometown. They serve boiled legumes over steamed rice or bulgur pilaf.

I also recommend serving chickpeas with rice pilaf as they accompany each other deliciously. Check out this article for a quick rice pilaf recipe, omit the vermicelli noodles if you want to make the original version.

Can you eat chickpeas as a meal?

You can eat chickpeas as a meal solely, and there literally hundreds of different recipes for that. In fact, they are one of the few ingredients that you can add to many different kinds of dishes ranging from soups, salads to casseroles. Note that you can also make sandwiches with chickpeas. All you need is to mash the boiled chickpeas with a fork, add your favorite spices, and spread the mixture on the bread slice.

What happens if you eat chickpeas everyday?

If you eat chickpeas every day, you get to improve digestion due to their high fiber content. Additionally, you can benefit from the rich source of vitamins and minerals that these special and tasty legumes offer generously. Keep in mind that chickpeas are also high in plant proteins that can aid in weight management and maintain bone health.

Do chickpeas make your hair grow?

Chickpeas can help your hair grow due to the high folate amount they contain. Note that folate is responsible for healthy cell growth. Not only it can help your hair to grow better, folate may also aid in adding volume to hair strands. Additionally, it contributes to red cell growth and is vital for nail growth.