One of my Fav's

We cook a lot of different beans in our house because we don't eat meat. Beans have way more nutritional value than meat, minus the cholesterol and fat meat has to offer you. Here's a little news flash for you. Buying dry ORGANIC beans in bulk is way more affordable than organic meat on any given day. You can buy a pound of organic dry beans for 5.00 yes, that's right 5.00. You can get a can of organic for about 2.00 or a frozen bag for about 3.50. Clearly your best bet is to buy in bulk, this goes for grains, lentils and oats as well.

I received a request for a chickpea recipe and I'm going to share with you one of my all time favorite chick- pea recipes. Chickpea Piccata! This bad boy comes from one of the best vegan cookbooks around, Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

We need to talk about cooking dry chickpeas for minute. Soak them overnight in a big bowl with cold water. In the morning dump out that water and give them a rinse. Pick out any not so good looking beans or any stones. Bring a big old pot of water to a boil (2 inches over your beans) reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. In a pinch for time and have to get to work? Break out the crock pot! Throw in your beans, cover with water and let her rip for 6 hours. I season my beans after I cook them.

You can leave your cooked beans in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cook up some whole wheat pasta or brown rice, saute some garlic, onion and spinach, throw in some cooked chickpeas and poof you have feeling healthy meal that gives you so much more than meat could ever give you. Then open up a window, if you're not use to eating beans you'll be tooting all over the place!

Health Benefits:
-great source of fiber (fill you up and lower cholesterol)
-high in folic acid
-contain minerals such as iron,copper,zinc and maganese

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup or less of thinly sliced shallots
6 cloves garlic. sliced thinly
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
a few pinches of black pepper
fresh thyme or dried (this makes the dish)
2 cups cooked chickpeas or 16 oz can of chickpeas
1/4 cup (or a little less) capers with a little brine
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed  lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Saute the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the bread crumbs and toast them by stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
Add your vegetable broth, wine, salt, pepper, and thyme. Turn up the heat, bring mixture to a rolling boil, and let the sauce reduce by half; it should take about 7 minutes. Add the chickpeas and capers and let heat through, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and turn off heat.

I serve this with whole wheat angel hair pasta and a side of steamed broccoli for a complete meal!