As you know, I am the Average Arab Girl, and I'm here to not only share nutritious and delicious recipes, but to share Syrian, nutritious and delicious recipes as well! If you are not aware of this, my country of Syria is located on the east side of the Mediterranean and the coastline stretches for about 110 miles. Our food has been significantly influenced by other Mediterranean countries like Greece, Italy, Turkey, and Spain. So, when you hear about the "Mediterranean diet", we are actually apart of that! The Mediterranean diet has been announced as the healthiest lifestyle in the world for 4 years straight, so you cannot go wrong incorporating these meals into your life.
So without further ado, I want to share one of my favorite Syrian breakfast recipes with you. Fava beans are served with tomato, onion, and parsley paired with pita bread to dip, making it a balanced meal filled with all the macronutrients your body needs. Fava beans can be cooked with chickpeas for an extra source of protein, but you don't have to add them if you don't want to.
This recipe is a plant-based recipe that takes less than 20 minutes to make with only 10 minutes of prep. Did I mention that this is a budget-friendly recipe too? Each can of chickpeas and fava beans are a $1 each, the tomato, onion, and parsley are approximately $4, and the pita bread is less than $3. I get so excited about this meal because it is perfect for anyone!
It's a Syrian breakfast delicacy that I like to enjoy during any time of the day. It's about to become your go-to comfort meal. So, let's get to the recipe!
Yields: 1-2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan.
Ingredients:
1. 1 can of fava beans with water
2. 1 can of chickpeas, drained
2. 1 plum tomato or ½ beefsteak tomato, finely diced
3. ¼ cup of finely diced parsley
4. ¼ sweet onion (not necessary if you have a sensitivity)
5. 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
7. ½ squeezed lemon
8. Salt
9. 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions:
1. In a pot add a can of fava beans with the water, and in the same can add ¼ of water and add it to the pot. Add in 1/2 the can of chickpeas or more if you'd like. Let them cook on high heat.
2. Add in the minced cloves of garlic and salt the water to taste.
3. As the fava beans and chickpeas are cooking, prepare the tomato, onion, and parsley.
4. Once the fava beans are soft, use a pestle to gently mash the fava beans and chickpeas. You can mash them as much as you want, but I keep them slightly chunky still.
5. Once they are done cooking, add the fava beans and chickpeas into a serving bowl. Add the chopped tomato, onion, and parsley into the bowl as well. Pour on olive oil and lemon juice. Salt to your liking.
6. Use pita bread to eat and enjoy!
Xoxo,