Meatless Monday: Pass the Chickpea Blondies, Please!

The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, edible seeds of plants in the legume family. The UN limits the term “pulses” to crops harvested solely for their dried seeds; the garbanzo bean or chickpea is one example. 

Rather than dwell on the significance of this declaration [or the fine points of what makes a legume a pulse], I opted for a fun post this week. Nearly two years ago I made “Black Bean Brownies” using a recipe from the phenomenally popular blog Chocolate Covered Katie and raved about them to you all. Over the weekend I revisited Katie’s blog in search of another pulse- based dessert.

There were many tasty sounding choices. I decided to try “Healthy Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies.” Here is the recipe. 

Since I was in unfamiliar territory, I followed Katie’s instructions pretty closely, choosing brown sugar for the sweetener and oats over flax seed. Since I had some oat flour on hand, I did substitute that for the ground oats. 

Done at 25 minutes.

Click here for nutrition info provided by Katie.  The beans, peanut butter, and oats supply a significant amount of protein and fiber, something you won’t find in the typical blondie. Note that the information is based on fifteen squares [?]; you are more likely to get 12 blondies per batch; that means more protein and fiber, but also more calories per serving. 

As Katie warns, be sure to blend all the ingredients in a food processor until very smooth, don’t omit the chocolate chips, and bake no longer than 25-30 minutes. 

We loved Katie’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies. At the rate we’re going this batch won’t last long.

Come back next time for more on the UN Declaration and the role that pulse crops may play in feeding the world. 

Happy Monday. Have a great week!

On Mondays I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday Musings: Slow Food Compromises in a Winter World

One of the benefits of living in a “college town” is the opportunity to hear firsthand what visiting visionaries have to say. On February 2 I was in the audience that packed the Yale University Art Gallery auditorium to listen to famed restaurateur and food activist  Alice Waters’ thoughts on the “importance of slow food.”

Alice Waters is one of my heroes. Without Alice there would most likely be no Yale Sustainable Food Program, no Edible Schoolyard Project, no garden on the White House lawn, and certainly no Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. There would also be far fewer farmers’ markets. 

President Obama awarded her the National Humanities Medal in 2014. The citation read: “Alice Waters, for celebrating the bond between the ethical and the edible. As a chef, author, and advocate, Ms. Waters champions a holistic approach to eating and health and celebrates integrating gardening, cooking, and education, sparking inspiration in a new generation.”

I have a copy of her book The Art of Simple Food (autographed on an earlier stop in New Haven) and have gifted several others. 

And, on our very first trip to the Bay Area, my husband and I rode the BART (under the Bay!) to Berkeley in the hopes that we could show up for lunch at Chez Panisse without a reservation and get in the door. We were lucky. We chose the Fixed Menu and two Mt. Tam ales. It was a lunch I will remember forever.

I love Alice.

And I try to live by the Slow Food principles: GOOD, CLEAN, FAIR. But Alice lives in a land where fresh-picked produce is plentiful all year long, and much of what she espouses is just not possible during winter in the Northeast, particularly not when the temperature a few weeks ago plummeted to -2°F and felt like -25!

Strawberries at the Mountain View, CA Farmers' Market in February

Weather in CT, February 2016

Yes, spring is on the way and soon wild ramps and the first early crops will appear at the local CitySeed Market. But nothing nothing can survive the frigid weather unprotected, and there are not enough high tunnels and greenhouses to provide all the food CT residents need right now. What is available at my farmers market comes with a high price tag and the pickin’s are slim. 

I do not characterize myself as a consumer with the means to “purchase produce from small farms…to pay the true cost” and I yearn for variety. So this time of year I search for fresh produce from places in my hemisphere where the season is the same as mine, such as citrus from Florida or California. Usually this means picking up what I need in the produce aisle, but occasionally I will buy a quantity of something directly from a grower through Local Harvest.

When asked by a student after the talk what she thought about shopping at Whole Foods, Alice told the student that she should avoid the middleman and purchase directly from the farmer and that she was sure area residents could guide her to places where she could do so. I am sorry, Alice, but this is simply not possible in late winter in Connecticut, certainly not if you are on any kind of budget.

Particularly during these pre-spring days in New England we need Whole Foods, other supermarkets, and corner stores. Sometimes we have to compromise while trying to embrace Slow Food Principles. 

I hope Alice does not take offense. 

For I have another crisis crying out for her attention — the food that is being served to the nation's seniors in meal programs, assisted living facilities, and in nursing homes. If she can only accomplish for seniors what she has already done for schoolchildren… imagine locally prepared, nutritious, and tasty Slow Food Senior Meals. Farmers and seniors would all benefit. If anyone can get this moving, Alice Waters can!

Happy Meatless Monday. Have a great week!

On Mondays I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Freebie Friday 03.04.16: How to Respond to FAQs about the Climate

The Climate Reality Project, the environmental advocacy group founded by Nobel Laureate Al Gore in 2006, sent me a really useful email yesterday — a link to a free e-book, The 12 Questions Every Climate Activist Hears and What to Say. The email promised “clear, understandable answers to these confusing questions.” I  decided to check it out and downloaded what turned out to be a 22 page pamphlet. The questions are indeed answered in a succinct, understandable way, accompanied by supporting graphics and links to additional resources.

The email requested that I share the book with a friend or two. Here is the link to get your own copy. 

The environmental movement needs committed advocates for climate solutions. This little book is a great place to start your education. To quote one of the book’s illustrations, “One person can only do so much.”