Vegetarian Tendecies - Chickpea Loaf

This week I had the hardest time picking a topic on which to write. I had nothing, diddly squat, beans. Oh, beans! Then I realized, in the last week I had eaten beans 3 times, talked about bean recipes a few times, and read one cooking essay on cooking for one which involved beans. How did beans escape my radar?

Beans are, or should be, a diet staple. Beans are a great source of protein, fiber, and ... . They can be boiled to a stew consistency, mashed and shaped into patties, or added to many dishes for texture and flavor.

One of my favorite snacks, which I don’t always associate with beans, is hummus, which is a dip made of pureed garbanzo beans, garlic, and lemon juice. It is a savory snack, perfect with crisp vegetables and soft pita bread.

Another great dish is a simple serving of brown beans, corn bread and fried potatoes. I ate many servings of beans and corn bread with my family. My grandpa Bill especially liked the corn bread drizzled with honey or topped with jam for dessert.

But, the kind of meal that came to my mind when I decide to write about beans (such an odd declaration) was using beans as a meat substitute for a vegetarian meal. If I haven’t told you before, I have vegetarian tendencies. That means I’m not a vegetarian, but I sometimes find myself eating meatless meals for periods of time because that is what sounds good. I’m thinking of starting a "Meatless Monday" tradition to encourage my habit (and to eat more vegetables).

This recipe is a great substitute for meatloaf. The original recipe came from "It’s Your world: Vegetarian Cookbook". The only changes I made were to had more spices. I actually added a Thai Spice blend to the mixture. It included crushed red pepper flakes, one teaspoon of soy sauce, and lemon zest in addition to the lemon juice. I think you could also add some more vegetables to this loaf such as bell peppers, mushrooms, or carrots.

Chickpea Loaf

2/3 cup dry garbanzos beans (chickpeas)

1 c. cooked or canned tomatoes

1 small onion, chopped roughly

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. chopped parsley

1/2 c. slivered almonds

1 1/2 c. cooked brown rice

Soak the garbanzo bean in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain the garbanzos and whiz in a blender with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oil, lemon juice, and seasonings; pour into a bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 375°F for about 1 hour until loaf is firm.