Thursday, August 5, 2010

250th Post : CWF - LB : Chickpeas - Event Announcement


This is my 250th post and on this occasion I'm happy to announce CWF - LB : Chickpeas for the months August through October. Although, I've done two events earlier, this is the very first time I'm guest hosting an event. When Kiran asked me about hosting this event, I had no second thoughts. I immediately said "Yes". Kiran is such a lovely blogger who always blog healthy dishes. Thank you so much Kiran for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

How can we define a whole food?

Wiki defines the whole food as follows :

Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients, such as sugar, salt, or fat.Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains; fruits and vegetables; and non-homogenized milk.

The term is often confused with organic food, but whole foods are not necessarily organic, nor are organic foods necessarily whole. Because of the lack of basic processing, some whole foods have a very short shelf life.

The United States Food and Drug Administration defines whole grains as cereal grains containing the bran, endosperm and germ of the original grain. Federal Dietary Guidelines issued by the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion in 2005 recommended the consumption of at least three servings of whole grains each day, as there is evidence that they help cut risk of cancer and heart disease.

There are several ways to meet the body's needs with respect to whole foods. One way is to consume a variety of fresh raw fruits and vegetables every day.

"Diets rich in whole and unrefined foods, like whole grains, dark green and yellow/orange-fleshed vegetables and fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, contain high concentrations of antioxidant phenolics, fibers and numerous other phytochemicals that may be protective against chronic diseases.


What are Legumes?

Legumes are a class of vegetables which includes beans, peas and lentils. Legumes are typically low in fat and contain no cholesterol. Legumes are a good source of protein and can be a healthy substitute for meat, which contains fat and cholesterol. Examples of legumes would be: adzuki beans, black beans, calico beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), edamame beans (soya beans),kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mung beans and split peas.

Why we chose Chickpeas for "Cooking with Whole Food - Legumes & Beans (CWF - LB)" event?


Chickpeas are less costly legume which is easy to find. They are available as dried and canned products. Chickpea is a versatile bean which can be used in salads, soups, hummus, curries etc..They have many health benefits as well.




About Chickpea :

The chickpea is a legume belonging to the family Fabaceae. Chickpea is botanically called as Cicer arietinum. The other names of chickpea are garbanzo bean, Indian pea, ceci bean, Bengal gram. Chickpeas are high in protein. Desi and Kabuli are the two main kinds of chickpea. Desi chickpeas are smaller in size with dark and rough skin. In general, Desi chickpeas are rich in fiber content compared to Kabuli. Kabuli chickpeas are larger in size with light and smooth skin. In general, chickpeas have nut like taste and butter like texture.
(Source : Wiki & whfoods.com)

Health Benefits :

1. Chickpeas are a good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber.
2. High fiber content in the chickpeas prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.
3. When combined with whole grains such as rice, garbanzos provide virtually fat-free high quality protein.
4. Chickpeas are an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites. Sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods like delicatessen salads and salad bars.
(Source : www.whfoods.com)


Nutritional Chart :


For more details on chickpeas, you can check here, here and here .

The rules for the event :

1. Prepare any healthy
vegetarian dish with "Chickpeas" as the main ingredient.(No eggs too) Don't send split chickpea or Chickpea flour based dishes. This is Cooking with Whole Food event. So any form of refined product based dishes will not be accepted.
2. No limit to number of entries.

3. Archived entries are accepted. You don't have to repost them.

4. Post the entries (new as well archived ones) with the link to this event announcement, Kiran's Future Guest Hosts Page and event logo.

5. Please note that posting the logo of this event in your entries is compulsory one. You can remove the logo from the entries once the event ends.

6. Late entries will not be accepted.

7. Send me your entries with the subject line : CWF-LB : Chickpeas to nithuskitchen@gmail.com.
Mail me
the following details.

Your Name :
Recipe Name :
Recipe URL :
Photo of the Recipe :
Your Location :

8. Non-Bloggers can send in your entries with your name, recipe name, recipe and your location.

If you have any doubts, please mail me or leave a comment. I'l acknowledge your entries as soon as I receive them.

For recipe ideas, please see :




44 comments:

Krishnaveni said...

lovely event, happy hosting Nithu

Shabs.. said...

nithu, can channa dal be considered?....as it is the split chick peas?

Shabs.. said...

nice event btw, loved it.

Padhu Sankar said...

Nithu
Congrats on your 250 th post
I am sure to participate in this event as I already have a chick pea sundal recipe in my drafts

Umm Mymoonah said...

Hi Nithu,
Nice choice of legume, one of my favourite. Will definitely send my entries.
Your information about chickpeas was really use, i appreciate you took your time to collect these information.

Indian Khana said...

Congrats dear way to go..gr8 event

Ms.Chitchat said...

Congratulations on ur 250th post and thanks for organising a very apt healthy event. sure to participate.

sonu said...

wow !! congrats nithu on ur 250th post..way to go gal...nice event pls do count me in..

Srividhya Ravikumar said...

congrats nithu...lovely event..

Nithu Bala said...

Thank you so much Friends :-)

@Shabs, will reply your query soon!

Nithu Bala said...

@Padhu, waiting for your Sundal;-)Thanks Dear..

Satya said...

wow wonderful event ...love chickpea ..so count me but one doubt
can we used basen which is also know as chickpea flour and chana dal ??

Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

GEETHA ACHAL said...

Lovely event....Congrats nithu....Sure try to participate in this event...

Bharathi said...

Congrats Nithu on your 250th post. Keep going dear.

Menaga Sathia said...

Nice event..congrats on ur 250th post!!

Suji said...

Congrats Nithu...

Pari Vasisht said...

Congrats dear. Will try to be a part.

Nivedita Thadani said...

Hi Nithu,
I am in.

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

count me in..comgrats on ur 250th post...keep rocking girl

Sadhana Valentina said...

Congrats on ur 250th post nithu....wud love to participate in ur event...

TREAT AND TRICK said...

Congrats on ur 250th post dear and wish you all the best for the event...

Panchpakwan said...

Congarts on your milestone Nithu,
Nice event..sure count me in

Unknown said...

Love the theme. Will definitely participate :)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Nithu
Congratulations
Thanks for the detailed info on chick peas...
Let me see how fast you are reaching 300 :-)

Kiran said...

Dear Nithu,

Congratulations on your 250th post and wish to see many more milestones.
Thank you for hosting CWF.Hope to see lots of healthy and delicious entries.

kitchen queen said...

congrats on ur 250th post and happy event hosting.I hope to participate.

Mahi said...

ippathaan 150th post paaththa maathiri irunthathu..250 aayiduchchaa? Congrats Nithu!:)
Keep going!

Happy hosting!

Nithu Bala said...

Thank you Friends for your wishes on my 250th post. Looking forward for all delicious healthy entries..

@Shabs & Satya, Split chickpeas and Besan flour based entries will not be accepted. This event is to encourage people to cook with whole food. Split Chickpea and Besan Flour are in a way processed ones. A whole food is just consumed as it is...Please send me entries with Desi/Kabuli channa. Hope this clarifies.

Prema said...

very interesting nithya will send my entry!

Sangi said...

Interesting theme.. will sure send my entries.. Congrats on your 250th post.. :)

Shabitha Karthikeyan said...

Congrats Nithu ! 250 is surely a very big number. Chickpeas one of my favorite legume. Will send in my entries.

Torviewtoronto said...

will be sending soon
lovely event

Dori said...

I look forward to participating!

Shabs.. said...

Hi nithu,
Thankx for clarifying my doubts..I will try to send in any entry. Congrats on ur 250th post my dear.

Ragini Miranda said...

Congratulations on your 250th post!! Nice event ..will send a recipe soon.

Santosh Bangar said...

lovely event.i north it is very papular as u know chola bahutara is famous dish of north i wiill participate .iwant to know both the chicpeas are used[blackand white]
1st time here wonderful space tasty recipes.do visit my blog and follow if u like , 1month old.
santoshbangar.blogspot.com

Akanksha said...

lovely event Nithu..congratulations for your 250th post..keep up the good work..happy hosting and all the very best wishes to you

Jaleela Kamal said...

Congratulation for 250 th post
very nice event, i am also try to send some entries.

Pushpa said...

Congrats on the 250th post Nithu.Happy hosting and best wishes to you...

www.simplehomefood.com

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

I have sent my entry...do confirm my entry reached u dear.

Hayley said...

lovely event Nithu..sure I'll send mine !

Saraswathi Iyer said...

Nice event. I have made few dishes for this event will post it soon.

Also have added your event here
www.sarafoodevents.blogspot.com

Hamaree Rasoi said...

I know I'm late here to wish you but better late than never....:-p Congrats on ur 250th post...Keep it up.
I have just u the details of my entry for ur event.Just let me know once u receive it.
Deepa

Megha said...

Can I post the same recipe submitted to another event with a different theme?