The Garbanzo Bean

I love the garbanzo bean. You can buy the beans by the can from any grocery store, and they are super cheap. In addition to the two following recipes, use garbanzo beans on top of your salads. They are fabulous!

Pasta, garbanzo beans, and veggies
I made this up tonight and it was DELICIOUS (yes, I actually made something without a recipe that was good...I am improving). Serves 3-4 depending on how much pasta you make. I actually made it for just me and used half of the amounts listed below.

whole wheat penne pasta
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 onion
1 bag of fresh spinach
1 orange bell pepper
salt

Make the pasta according to the package and drain. Cut the onion and bell pepper and put in a skillet with the spinach (I just used a cooking spray to cut the calories, but you can also use olive oil). Cook the veggies until they are as soft as you like them. Make sure the spinach is good and cooked. Add salt to taste. Drain the garbanzo beans and set aside.

Once done, put the veggies on top of the pasta and then add the drained garbanzo beans. If you're on weight watchers (http://www.weightwatchers.com/), 1/2 cup of garbanzo beans is only one point! Plus, they really fill you up, which is always a plus. Add spray butter or real butter and enjoy!

Red Pepper Hummus
2 large garlic cloves chopped
1 15oz can garbanzo beans (drained)
1/3 c Tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
1/2 c chopped drain roasted red pepper from jar

Blend garlic, add garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice and process until smooth - add red peppers. Blend until smooth. Eat with veggies, pita, or crackers.