Garbanzo Beans

Garbanzo beans are packed with nutrients and can be found in everything from salad bars to traditional Middle Eastern cuisine. Also known as “chickpeas,” garbanzo beans have a creamy color and round shape.

Health Benefits
Remember the jingle, “Beans, beans the magical fruit?” Garbanzo beans hold true to that saying because they are filled with protein, fiber, and many other good things I can’t pronounce. WHFoods.org says that “as little as 3/4 cup of garbanzos per day can help lower our LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in a one-month period of time.”

Recipes
One of the most popular recipes featuring these beans is hummus! Try Average
Betty’s Chipotle Hummus. It is easy to make with a blender and can be stored in the fridge for a antioxidant-rich snack.

For a quick bite, try this 5-Minute Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad.

Garbanzo beans made it all the way from the Middle East to Cuba! My Dad is Cuban and we make a traditional Cuban dish called Garbanzo Bean Stew. This dish will fill you up and keep you warm during Fall. Bonus: The recipe makes a big batch to ensure leftovers for days.

This stew is traditionally made in a pressure cooker, but if you do not have one, a crock pot will work too. After soaking beans, add all other ingredients and cook on low for about 8 hours. Cooking it on low for a long period of time in the crock pot will make the meat juicy, tender, and flavorful.

Cuban Garbanzo Bean Stew

• 30 oz. Garbanzo beans
• 1/2 pound beef tips, or flank steak cut into chunks
• 1 white onion
• 1 green pepper
• 3 tablespoons vino seco (“cooking wine”)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon Adobo (A Latin version of “Mrs. Dash.” If you don’t have any, just add extra salt, pepper, and oregano.)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon each salt & pepper
• 2 cups water
• Optional: White rice, potatoes/sweet potatoes (add in with other veggies).

1. Soak the garbanzo beans overnight in enough water to cover them.
2. Dice onion and green pepper. After beans are soaked, place beef tips, beans, onions and pepper in pressure cooker.
3. Add Adobo, garlic powder, salt & pepper, oregano, olive oil, vino seco (cooking wine) and 2 cups water.
4. Place lid on pressure cooker and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If beef tips are thawed out 45 and if not, cook for 1 hour.
5. After cooked, place under cold running water to cool down the pressure cooker. Open lid and stir.
6. If it is too thick or the beans are still crunchy, add more water, cover with a lid and cook for another 15 minutes or so until the beans are easy to bite into.  Add more seasoning if required.
7. Serve or eat over cooked white rice. Salud!