Garbanzo Day - October 7th

Stephan Pastis creator of Pearls Before Swine, on October 3 declared that October 7th would be GARBANZO day -- check out his comic @GoComics - http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2011/10/03 #pearlsbeforeswine #GoComics.

Join the celebration by sharing a recipe, a book, or make your own card to send to someone you want to honor on Garbanzo Day.  Comments to this blog are welcome.

I immediately thought of a book I encountered in the early 1990's Mountain Bikes and Garbanzo Beans.  It was a story of a young boy  who nearly ruined his own chances of getting a mountain bike by avoiding all things healthy.  I went on a search for this book and discovered it has reemerged as #22 in the Cul de Sac Kids series by Beverly Lewis from Bethany House Publishers.  And it has been retitled Big Bad Beans.  I liked the Mountain Bikes and Garbanzo Beans better as a title.  Just saying.

A little research reveals that garbanzo beans are synonymous  to chickpeas.  They are legumes and known for their fiber content.  Here's a recipe for a simple to make Garbanzo Salad:

Garbanzo Salad

Mix together in a medium sized bowl -- 

• 2 cans (15 oz.) garbanzo beans
• 2 med. tomatoes, chopped
• 3 green onions, thin sliced
• 3/4 c. snipped fresh parsley
• 3/4 c. (4 oz.) finely cubed fetta cheese

Make a "dressing" with:

• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin (may substitute chili powder)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

 Pour dressing over bean mix, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.  Serve on a bed of Romaine lettuce.

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Or a pasta salad

Cook 2 cups (uncooked) rotini according to directions.  Allow to cool at room temperature.

Prepare the following ingredients in a large bowl, and then add the cooled rotini:

• 1 small zucchini, washed and diced
• 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery

Prepare the sauce to dress the pasta and vegetables.

• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup fat-free Italian dressing
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can Del Monte Pasta Style Stewed Tomatoes
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the pasta/vegetable mixture with the tomato sauce dressing.  Allow to absorb flavors for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.  Refrigerate left-overs.

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Italian Garbanzo Four Hour Soup

Saute in butter the celery, onion, and carrot, until ingredients are very brown

• 1 cu. finely minced celery
• 1 cu. finely minced onion
• 1 cu. finely minced carrot
• 1/4 cu. butter

Add 3 quarts of water and

• 1/2 cu. garbanzo beans
• 1/2 cu. kidney beans
• 1/2 cu. whole dried peas

Slow cook until beans are almost done (garbanzo beans will take the longest) - 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Add the remaining vegetables and spices and cook another hour.

• 3/4 cu. sliced carrots
• 3/4 cu. sliced celery
• 3/4 cu. chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cu. rice or barley
• 2 Tbls. minced parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tsp. basil
• 2 tsps. soy sauce
• Pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

Twenty (20) minutes before serving add 1 cup uncooked shell macaroni and add more water if needed.  Cook until macaroni is done.  Serve steaming hot, topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and accompanied with crispy garlic bread.