I was recently beckoned by a friend to create something for lunch that would be satisfying and feel healthy. For me, this is both an easy and difficult task- all because I generally surround myself with these two requirements when preparing my meals or searching for food to make. As my friends would most definitely tell you- I have an extreme love for chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans). They are such a great source of protein and are just so delicious! I love everything about them: their taste, texture and they can really transform any dish (in my opinion) and tend to make an appearance in a lot of my cooking. So when I was presented with a demand for something a) healthy and b) filling, chickpeas seemed like an obvious option. My friends and I rely on chickpeas on a weekly basis as a healthy, filling snack in the form of hummus (you cannot go wrong)!

This dish was originally inspired by a recipe in Earthly & Divine; Whole Recipes for a Healthy Life, a book written by a Eva Cabaca, a Holistic Nutritionist that teaches the Holistic Food Preparation class at the Toronto Institute of Holistic Nutrition. You can learn more about her and her business at her Website, Live Nutrition Cooking School- as well there is a preview of her book here, where you can get a glimpse of some of the wonderful things coming out of her work. The focus of her recipes are on whole, fresh plant foods that are as natural as possible. She stays away from canned and packaged foods, which is something I also live by and try to practice as much as possible in my everyday life.

I really like the way that Eva organized her book and placed a lot of importance on simplicity rather than bombarding readers with too much information about things they may or may not understand or know about. It’s a great approach to inspiring health through simple, easy-to-follow and effective vegetarian recipes. Enjoy!