Recipes & Tips for Cooking with Pantry Staple Chickpeas (Pulses)

As we’re staying in and stocking up on groceries this month, you may be looking in your pantry and wondering “What can I make with all of this?  I have all of these canned and dry goods but I am not sure what to do with them!” Not to worry because I can help.  Some of the most essential pantry staples include pulses, also known as beans, chickpeas, lentils and dry peas.  Pulses are wonderful to have in stock during these uncertain times because they are easy to prepare, shelf-stable, nutritious and versatile, making for a great meal addition. 

Last week my friends at USA Pulses approached me to help share recipes and tips for preparing one of my favorite pulses, chickpeas. 

Chickpeas are hearty and rich in protein and fiber which make for a great substitute for a meat protein in a dish.

For a quick lunch option, I will whip up my Smashed Chickpeas and Avocado Salad.  I combine chickpeas, avocado, lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt and garlic powder. Tip: Buy your avocadoes ripe and then store in the refrigerator to keep longer.  You will always have ripe avocadoes on hand. 

The chickpeas salad can be served as a sandwich or on top of dressed mixed greens.  It is such a refreshing and filling meal.  Even my three-year-old loves it!

One of the most common ways to use chickpeas is in making hummus.  There are plenty of recipes for making hummus but I think I have the best. 

Tips for making the Best Creamiest Hummus:

• Boil the canned chickpeas in baking soda to soften the peas and to remove their skin.
• Good tahini (I discovered that Trader Joe’s has a really good tahini and its inexpensive too.)
• Ice cold water helps to produce a whipped, creamy hummus.
• Lemon juice adds a fresh, bright flavor to the hummus. It also helps break down the sharp taste of the garlic when the garlic sits in the lemon juice for a few minutes. 
• The finishing touch to the hummus is a drizzle of good quality extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt.

Try my Creamy, Dreamy Hummus and you decide if it is the best.

Another way I am inspired to create recipes is from trying dishes at restaurants. My husband and I were dining at a cute Asian fusion restaurant in Santa Monica, CA last year.  We ordered their curry chickpeas with naan appetizer. Oh, my gracious alive it was so good. I wanted to dive into the bowl of the creamy curried chickpeas. The flavors were bold and the warm creamy curry was soothing to my soul. I won’t lie. We did everything but lick the bowl clean. When I returned home I had to recreate the dish.  I decided to use Southern spices which I already had in my spice cabinet versus buying curry spices. I combined smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground thyme, ground cayenne pepper, cracked black pepper and ground cinnamon. I also added some not so Southern but common spices, ground turmeric and ground ginger.  I toasted the spices in a pan with chopped onion and garlic.  My Southern Spiced Coconut Chickpeas “curry” comes together with the addition of canned coconut milk, another pantry staple and canned chickpeas.  A few other ingredients are added and the “curry” simmers to build flavor and to thicken. I like to serve this rich flavored chickpeas “curry” with naan and fresh cilantro.  I’m sure you will have a hard time not licking your bowl of this clean. Haha! 

I hope you enjoy the recipe ideas and tips, and stay safe during this unprecedented time. If you’re looking for more ways to cook with pulses-canned or dried- visit, pulses.org.