This is a great recipe to add to your meal prep for lunches. I always look for lunches that won’t “bring me down” come the mid-afternoon slump. Sometimes you just can’t avoid it, but I do notice that whatever I eat for lunch can directly effect it. Easily digestible carbohydrates and raw food always keeps me running! Not all people are the same, but for me this recipe truly does the trick for busy days. Whether I have it as is, a bean salad, or I have it in a whole wheat pita – this is something I keep in mind for lunches.
Let’s talk a little about why this recipe is nutritious.
Chickpeas
- High in Fiber – Good for Weight Management and Bowel Health
- Can Help to Reduce LDL (bad) Cholesterol
- Omega-3 Fats – Reduce Inflammation
- Good Source of Protein
- Rich in Minerals for Bone Health
Low-Fat Yogurt
- Good Bacteria for Gut Health & Immune Health
- Relieves bloating and cramping
- Combats bacteria in the stomach and intestines that can cause infection.
- Helps prevent yeast infections by balancing pH levels
Cucumbers
- Promotes Detoxification by Helping the Liver
- Balances pH in Body
- Balances Blood Sugar
- A hormone in cucumbers helps the pancreas to utilize insulin
- High in Vitamins & Minerals for Eye, Bone, Teeth, and Nail Health
Meal Prep Tip
If you are making this in advance, make sure to pat dry the chopped cucumber and tomatoes before adding them to the bowl. This will dry up excess water/juice so that the salad doesn’t become watered down the next day or two when you eat it.
Greek Chickpea Salad or Pita Filling
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 1/2 cucumber, diced
- 1/4 medium red onion, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain yogurt
- juice from 1 lemon, about 1/4 cup
- 1-2 tbsp fresh dill, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, if desired
- whole wheat pitas, if using
Directions
- Take the chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, and cherry tomatoes and stir together.
- In a small bowl make the yogurt sauce. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, fresh dill, and garlic and combine.
- Add the yogurt sauce to the chickpea mixture and taste. If desired, add salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately as a bean salad, in pitas, or store for later.
Nutritional Information
349 calories | 5.5 g total fat | 0.5 g saturated fat | 2.1 g polyunsaturated fat | 1.1 g monounsaturated fat | 0 g trans fat | 1.2 mg cholesterol | 484 mg sodium | 56 g carbohydrates | 15.5 g fiber | 11.2 g sugar | 19.1 g protein
Macros
64% Carbohydrates | 14% Fat | 22% Protein
Dietary Servings per Portion
- 0.3 Fruit
- 1.2 Meat Alternative
- 0.2 Milk Alternative
- 2.8 Vegetables
A Different Beet Nutrition 