It All Begins With Dirt: Meatless Monday with Mindy #18 Warm Salad of Chard and Chickpeas

Welcome to the 18th installment of Meatless Monday with Mindy

I have been a very busy girl these past 2 months, but I've continued to research nutrition and am still passionate about continually improving my diet to benefit my body and my health. From the last post you learned my sister had open-heart surgery and must now also pay attention to the foods she puts into her body. It will be a process for her as she hasn't put much thought, until now, about what she eats except when the scales have shown unfavorable results when she checked in with her doctor. Now that her heart health and diabetes is playing a significant role in her decision making, she is seeing the benefits of eating more vegetables and less meat. Let the learning process begin!

The Opinion Pages of the New york Times article "Plant Strong is the Way" says, "A whole food, plant-based diet is the healthiest way for everyone to eat. Why? Because plants provide you with all the protein you need — and plant proteins do not cannibalize our bones, promote cancer or increase inflammation like animal proteins do. You can also get all the iron, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals that animal addicts claim you can get only from eating meat. Additionally, you get complex carbohydrates for sustained energy; healthy fats that don’t clog up your pipes; fiber to keep you as regular as a Swiss commuter train; water for hydration; and antioxidants and phytochemicals to zap free radicals. It’s also the best way to lose weight, because if you’re eating plant-based whole foods, you’re eating nutrient-dense foods that make you healthy without taking in extra calories."

Today's Meatless Monday recipe is coming from a UK magazine called Vegetarian Living. On page 65 of the June 2013 article is a recipe called Warm Salad of Chard and Chickpeas. Not a fancy name, much like the recipe itself, but WOW is this tasty! The only pre-cursor I would add would be, if you don't like spicy meals, cut back on the chili flakes. Other than that, dig in and enjoy this easy to make and simply delicious vegetarian main dish, or a side dish for any meal.

Enjoy this dish warm or at room temperature. If you have any left-overs, it is especially delicious as the flavors will continue to develop overnight.

Warm Salad of Chard and Chickpeas

Serves 4

300g ( or about one bunch) of chard leaves, tough stalks cut off and chopped

1 TBS olive oil

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced coarsely

4 celery stalks, cut into thick slices

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 tsp dried chili flakes (or less if spice is an issues)

1 can (15.5 oz or 400g) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 TBS tahini paste

juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tsp)

1/3 cup water (90 ml or 3.04 oz)

1 TBS chopped flat leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pan of salted water to boil. Add the chard stalks and blanch for 2 minutes.

Then add the leaves and blanch 1 minute further.

Drain, then roughly chop the leaves. Set aside.

Return the pan to a low heat and add the oil. Add the carrots and celery with a generous pinch of salt and sauté for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften and brown slightly.