happy global pulse day!!! i am celebrating over a big bowl of kale & white bean soup that i made live on NOM last night. it has been so cold, rainy & miserable here so i couldn't think of anything better then a comforting pot of soup to enjoy all week long! i am also sharing the recipe for chickpea chocolate chip blondies & rounding up ALL my favourite recipes i have made for the blog that include different types of pulses. yes, you heard that correctly... chickpea blondies! i actually can't even count how many times i have made these (& eaten the entire batch in one sitting, but it is healthy, so that's okay.. i think). they are so good & while they might not taste exactly like a traditional blondie they are good in a whole other way.

since it is safe to assume all our resolutions this month include eating healthier, these recipes will make that super easy. incase you aren't familiar with "pulses" they include various beans, peas & lentils that appear in all sorts of food that you eat! chickpeas, chickpea flour, yellow & green split peas, lentils, beans & so on. why should we eat pulses aside from all the delicious foods we make out of them? (i had to include TWO hummus recipes in this round up because who isn't obsessed with hummus) because they are good for us of course! working with pulse canada over the last year, i have been fortunate enough to learn about all the benefits pulses give us. they are the future of better nutrition & health, good for the planet, versatile & affordable AND my fellow canadian's we are one of the world's largest producers of pulses! this means they are pretty easy to get your hands on, canadian or not.

anyways, i hope you take the pulse pledge with me this year (click here to take the pledge or go to pulsepledge.com) & add pulses to your diet. just think, you can make a different flavoured hummus EVERY week or a cozy pot of chili for the cold winter days. below is a recipe link to some of my favourite pulse recipes as well as the new recipe for chickpea blondies!

pulse recipe round up

1. split pea pesto spaghetti- a summer inspired dish made with split pea pesto & roasted peppers.

2. garlic hummus- a classic hummus flavoured with a touch of garlic. serve with warm pita or sliced veggies!

3. roasted balsamic chickpea salad- a vegetarian salad where roasted balsamic chickpeas become the main source of protien. tossed in a honey balsamic dijon vinaigrette.

4. black bean + turkey chili- my go to winter dish, turkey chili! you can substitute the black beans for any type of bean & the turkey for any ground meat. this dish is loaded with flavour.

5. roasted beet, onion & garlic hummus- my pretty in pink hummus that was a huge hit this month! it features roasted beets, garlic & onion. i serve it with harvest snaps which are a healthy split pea snack!

chickpea chocolate chip blondies

ingredients

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed throughly
1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar (can substitute raw, brown or white sugar)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips (milk or dark)

directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees & line a 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
in a blender add the chickpeas, peanut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, baking powder & baking soda. pulse until mixture is smooth.
fold in chocolate chips & spread mixture evenly into the baking dish.
bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges turn a golden brown.

this post was created in partnership with pulse canada!

hi friends! i hope you all had the best new years yet. are we all ready for 2017? SEVENTEEN! i will forever think 2000 was just a few years ago. i took a much needed break from blogging + social media over the holidays to spend it with my friends & family, but now i am BACK with the prettiest hummus i ever did see. i think beet hummus is the best way to get back into the swing of things because it's healthy & well, it's PINK.

now that justin & i are officially living in modest house (most of the work is done.. for now) we have a lot of entertaining to do. i have been working on all different finger foods to serve when people come over to see the house! i served this hummus with a variety of different flavoured harvest snaps. harvest snaps are a snap pea crisp that i topped last year's (errr last month's) black pepper mac & cheese with! they are so good as is, but throw hummus into the mix & you have one hell of a snack! here i served it with lightly salted original, tomato basil & black bean habanero (SPICY).

ingredients

3 beets, roasted
1 large onion, roasted
2 cloves of garlic, roasted
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly chopped plus more for garnish
2 1/2 cups chickpeas, drained + rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup water
1 lemon, juiced
sea salt + pepper, to taste
85 grams black bean habanero harvest snaps, for serving
85 grams lightly salted harvest snaps, for serving
85 grams lentil bean tomato basil, for serving

directions

preheat oven to 400 degrees.
line a baking pan or dish with parchment paper & toss beets, onion, parsley & garlic in olive oil, salt & pepper.
roast for an hour, turning over beets halfway through.
let cool while you prepare the hummus.
in a food processor add the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, water, lemon, salt & pepper. puree until smooth.
peel the roasted beets & add the roasted beets, onion, garlic & fresh parsely. puree again until smooth.
transfer to serving dish & serve with black bean habanero, lightly salted harvest snaps & lentil bean tomato basil harvest snaps!
stores for a week in a glass weck jar.