Tasty nutrition on the go for the busy student!
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas (they’re the same thing)
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ medium-sized white onion, chopped
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried dill weed
1 pickle, chopped (optional)
1-5 white flour tortilla shells
If you’ve decided to make the commitment to eliminating meat from your diet, you’ll need to start being concerned with how much protein you eat. To be honest, when I took a nutrition course I was surprised that the amount of protein you’re supposed to eat is nowhere near as high as people seem to think, and as a pescatarian (someone who only eats fish and seafood) I had no problem maintaining my optimal levels. The key to protein is knowing where to look for it. Beans, legumes, and greens are great places to find sources of iron and protein, the nutrients most vegetarians are lacking. The trick is to experiment, and find new and fun ways to incorporate them into your diet.
Begin by opening up your can—double-check before buying it that it’s not packed in brine or salt water as this could leave them with a weird aftertaste. Drain the water out and then rinse your beans under cold water, using a strainer.
Empty the beans into a medium-sized bowl and begin mashing them with a fork. You want them broken up, but still a little chunky, so don’t go overboard and turn them into paste.
Add your chopped celery and onions, as well as the mayonnaise, lemon juice and dill weed. If you like pickles, then you can add an optional chopped pickle as well. After that, just mix in some salt and pepper to taste!
Prepping the tortilla shells is relatively easy, just set your oven to 150F or warm them in the microwave. Fill them as full as you like, this chickpea mix can serve up to five people.
Chickpeas are a great source of protein, and for your more skeptical friends and family members, they have a consistency similar to baked beans, but their nutrient value is higher. If you find that you’re feeling sluggish or pale, try mixing in some spinach with this recipe, as you could be suffering from a lack of iron.
