A few weeks ago I was listening to a CBC radio program, the theme of which was that 2016 has been proclaimed by the United Nations the “Year of Pulses”. They then went on with a discussion of chickpeas and lentils. I had never heard of the word “pulse” in reference to something to eat and so I went on line to get more information. Sure enough, the word pulse refers to “Legumes harvested solely for dry grain and includes such things as: lentils, beans, peas, and chickpeas.” It does not include legumes that are harvested green.
Unknowingly, I have been a big fan of pulses all along. I love beans, and chickpeas. Not only do they taste good, they can help prevent diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. When they are grown, they fix nitrogen in the soil, so actually improve the soil.
I love them in salads, Mexican food, and other ethnic cuisine. No one has ever accused me of being a gourmet, so what I am about to tell you may be offensive to those who do consider themselves to be gourmets. Above is a concoction of some of my favorite things that I created and really enjoy having for lunch. It is a salad consisting of red cabbage, chickpeas (or other types of canned beans), ranch dressing, with a bit of garlic. When I start eating a bowl of this, it is hard for me to stop.
A warning: I sometimes have to pay the price later in the day if I over do it, because of the often referred to gaseous side effect of eating beans. In my mind, all those healthy aspects of pulses, far outweigh the one negative.
Take a look at my paintings: www.davidmarchant.ca
No comments:
Post a Comment