Now I know a lot of my Recipes page is taken up with my healthy sweet bakes but I have promised to start sharing more of my lunch and dinner recipes so that is what I am doing- you can find all these on my recipes page! I have recently been trying out different pasta dishes because we all need carbs for energy and you can get so creative with pastas! Today I am sharing an edamame spaghetti which is amazingly high in protein and tastes so satisfying. I have paired it with lots of veggies and my famous chickpea recipe that I will document here along with some awesome health benefits…
Health benefits of chickpeas
- Chickpeas are high in fibre and are good for your digestive health.
- They help at controlling blood sugar levels. Chickpeas are known as what is referred to as ‘complex carbohydrates’ which are slowly released and digested by the body in a way that it does not cause ‘spikes’ in our blood sugar. These spikes are what lead to sugar cravings.
- Chickpeas provide great nutritional value (particularly for those who have chosen a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle), boasting high levels of B vitamins, zinc, phosphorus, iron and folate. Folate is essential for the body effectively producing new cells that play a role in copying and synthesising DNA.
- It is important for vegans and vegetarians to be mindful of adding enough protein to their diet, as cutting out animal products could lead to a lack of protein in the diet. Chickpeas are a great plant based protein option.
Ingredients
- 50g uncooked Liberto edamame spaghetti
- 3/4 of a cup of chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- A pinch of salt
- A sprinkle of black pepper
- 1/4 of cup of green peas
- 1/2 a cup of broccoli
- 1 medium carrot
Note: I usually cook more chickpeas than needed as I save them to snack on the next day!
Method
- Drain the chickpeas from water and dry with a clean tea towel or a piece of kitchen roll.
- Put the chickpeas in a bowl, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil as well as the paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, and use a spoon or your hand to cover the chickpeas with the spices.
- Heat a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the bowl of season chickpeas, stirring them with a wooden spoon over so often so they do not burn.
- Prepare your vegetables, cutting your broccoli into florets and dicing your carrot.
- Boil your spaghetti and your veg separately. The edamame spaghetti will only need boiling for 3 minutes- the veg a little long depending on how boiled you like it.
- Drain the spaghetti and the vegetables. (Remember to keep turning the chickpeas).
- The chickpeas will take around 15 minutes to become a golden brown colour.
- Remove them from the pan and serve with the spaghetti and vegetables in a bowl.
- You may want to add sauce to your dish this is optional!
