You say chickpea, I say garbanzo

Chickpeas aka garbanzo beans (and a few other aliases), have definitely never been on my list of food cravings. I guess it's because I just really don't like their texture - mushy but somehow grainy at the same time. And they always seem so bland! No matter what dressing I apply to them, they resist all attempts at flavoring.

But they're so good for you! How can I not eat them now?

Two cups of chickpeas contains a person's entire daily value of fiber, much of it insoluble fiber, which is excellent for digestion. They are also loaded with vitamins and nutrients - protein, folate, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium (which is emphasized on my pre-diabetic diet), iron and zinc. Suffice to say, chickpeas need to become my best friend.

I decided that a salad would provide an excellent reintroduction for me to garbanzos, my former enemy turned best friend. Martha had a fabulous Mediterranean Chickpea Salad that I knew would totally fit the bill.

Although Martha soaked and cured the garbanzos herself, I opted to buy them canned, a lazy-person's version of chickpeas. I combined these with generous portions of garlic, yellow pepper, cucumber, carrots, grape tomatoes, and chopped parsley. I also decided to add in some brown rice for a more filling salad and some spinach simply because I had some left over and I didn't want it to go bad. I finished the salad off with balsamic and olive oil, my favorite healthy, go to, dressing.

Will all the other ingredients, I hardly noticed that I was eating chickpeas. And I have to admit, I really love this salad. It is a perfect mix of crunchy and colorful! I made plenty of it and plan on eating this for lunch a few days this week.