As a food blogger, keeping on trend has become a regular search for me on Google…whats trending in food today?… Gotta keep current! Plus, it get me to expand my horizons…..and apparently my waistline.….lol
Healthy grains are on trend these days. I must confess that I have never really eaten many of the avant-garde grains. No particular reason, just never have. Recently we were at a restaurant and I had a steak that was served on a bed of grains with spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms. I was not impressed with the meal per say, but the grains were wonderful, chewy and creamy, and al dente……I wondered what they would be like in a really good dish.
Chickpea, oh chickpea, how do I love thee……..let me count the ways……..
I eat chickpeas everyday, and no, I am not exaggerating. At the High School in my School District, we have a very large ala carte line with lots of great food items. We also have a rocking salad bar, on which we have chickpeas….a.k.a. garbanzo beans. I have a salad daily and I load on the chickpeas.
Chickpeas are a great source of protein (good for vegetarians), loaded with fiber, contains vitamins and minerals and significantly boosts your intake of manganese and folate. So kinda the Superman of Beans !!
Making a salad with them seemed like the natural thing to do. I made a kinda tuna salad from them. Mashed up the chickpeas, added shallots, celery, dill, and for extra crunch and yummy flavor, some crisp apples, and toasted pecans. Just add lemon juice and a touch of relish and you have a chickpeas salad that will rival a tuna salad any day of the week!
I wrapped mine in lettuce leaves, but it would be awesome on toasted whole grain bread, or stuffed inside a pita.
So, next time you want a light, refreshing, and crunchy salad……try making Chickpeas Salad with Apple and Pecans. Perfect for you vegetarians or if you want to try a meatless Monday!!
It’s my first official day of Spring Break……yeah!!!!!!!!
My first official order of business…sleep in……well, that failed! So, instead I got up and at it. To get your motor running, you need fuel, a.k.a. breakfast. I eat breakfast everyday, it may be a smoothie, my favorite is our Raspberry Chia Smoothie or a granola bar. If we are home Tim and I liked scrambled eggs or Tim’s famous egg sandwich……he makes the best egg sandwich!!!
I have decided on my Spring Break to work on my eating habits……they are way out of hand. I have jumped on the Avocado Toast band wagon. There are a million recipes, that I am sure are just like mine……but I really like my Avocado Toast!!!
It’s simple, easy, quick, and has just a touch of red pepper flakes, to rev you up.
Place avocado in small bowl and squeeze with fresh lemon juice.Sprinkle in salt and red pepper flakes to taste and mash.
Half an avocado, mashed with lemon juice, salt, and red pepper flakes, then spread on toast…..for me an english muffin. I prefer english muffins to toast. The perfect breakfast! or Lunch!
Spread on english muffin or toast choice.
Avocados are full of vitamins, fiber, and healthy fats….a super food. With just around 225 calories the avocado toast ( calories can vary depending on your choice of bread) won’t break the calorie bank and will keep satisfied until lunch……speaking of lunch……….
