Tomato and Basil Garbanzos | a tasty recipe

I am a mom.

(This actually means I am a cook, waitress, maid, teacher, nanny, taxi, and laundry service. On a good day.)

Dinner. By the time it rolls around, I’ve usually already changed 6 diapers, kissed 5 boo-boos, played 4 different car games (I have boys), cleaned the house 3 times, helped wipe a toddlers bottom twice, and started talking to myself in frustration at least once. But by 5 o’clock, instead of locking me in a nut house, like they probably ought to do, I am forced to face a greater doom: dinner time. And being the upright mother that I am, I have this insane idea that the food has to be (gasp!) nutritious. I have started to get better, though, with how and what I prepare, saving time, money, and energy, while still maintaining some sense of sanity (turning on an episode of Sesame Street for the boys tends to help) and health.

And since I’m such a caring person, I thought I’d share my simple recipes that are both kid friendly and nutritious, while not breaking the back or bank…

Tomato and Basil Garbanzos

• 10-12 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 5-6 full sprigs of fresh basil
• 2 cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup veggie pulp from juicing* **
• Dash of salt and freshly ground peppercorn pepper

Directions

Grind the fresh basil in a food processor. Mix with beans, sliced tomatoes, olive oil, cheese, veggie pulp. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat until cheese is melted (microwave is easiest). ENJOY!!!

Time to Prepare

Prep time:5 minutes. Cook time: 1 minute (depending on microwave). Clean-up time: 5 minutes.

Cost to Prepare

• Beans: $1.40 (for both cans)
• package of basil: $1 (managers special!)
• tomatoes: fresh from the garden! (or about $2 at the store)
• cheese: $1 ($3 for 1 cup)
• pulp: free leftovers from breakfast

…so, this meal, on it’s own, is about $5, very filling, very nutritious, and feeds 4-6 people (depending on how big and hungry the people are…)

My kind of a meal.

Pair with steamed asparagus and fresh cantaloupe for a dinner straight from heaven.

*My husband and I began juicing for breakfast about a month ago, after watching the documentary ‘Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead’. It’s nice to have the delicious juice each morning, but I didn’t want to waste all of the pulp that it left…so we started using pulp in our lunches and dinners. And I love it. It adds flavor and nutrition to meals, without me having to sit and chop vegetables all night long.

**If you don’t feel like juicing to get this pulp, use a food processor to grind a little carrot, celery, and cucumber to put in, instead. Warning: this adds time to preparation. Or just leave it out…and miss out on the added, unnoticed by toddler eyes, veggies.

Author Bio

Hi, my name is Heidi. I am a mom first and blogger second. In a way the two coincide. I blog about juicing recipes on a regular basis over at Juicingpedia.com. I absolutely love what juicing does for me and that is why I am so passionate about sharing it with others online and including it into my family’s meal plan!