Our favourite recipes on World Pulse Day!

Chickpeas, dry beans, lentils, dry peas and lupins! These foods known as pulses are a staple in our pantries and make the base for many delicious home cooked meals. Pulses are part of the legume family, but the term "pulse" specifically refers to the dried seed. They are important enough that the UN has decided every year on February 10th that we should celebrate them on World Pulses Day!

Why should we honour the humble pulse? Because they have played an invaluable role in sustaining human civilization for thousands of years as an essential part of the diet, keeping people healthy, lean and satisfied.

Pulses are an important food group for the future for several reasons:

• Pulse crops have a lower carbon footprint than most foods because they require a small amount of fertilizer to grow.
• They also have a low water footprint as they are adapted to semi-arid conditions and can tolerate drought stress.
• But it's not just the sustainability factor: Pulses are inexpensive, easy to store, highly-nutritious, and their ability to enhance the soil microbiome has been key in improving farming techniques in low-income rural areas!

Here are some of our favourite recipes where pulses are the star of the show!

Burrito Bowls

A recipe our content creator Susie puts together all the time (usually from her head)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tin of black beans
• 1 tin of pinto beans
• 1 onion
• 3-5 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of veggies (I normally do zucchini)
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 1/2 tin or head of sweetcorn
• 1 jalapeno
• dash of cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika (personal preference)
• dash of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fry the onions and garlic in a tablespoon of oil for a few minutes, until they're cooked through but not brown.
2. Throw in the veggies and jalapeno. Once they're cooked through, chuck in the beans, tomatoes, and spices.
3. Throw in the sweetcorn only a few minutes before serving.
4. Serve over rice, or in a burrito, with guacamole!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

A favourite from our partnerships whizz Jemima! Recipe by KATIE WEBSTER

INGREDIENTS

• 2 heads garlic
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 15 1/2-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 Tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 juicy/large lemon)
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• optional garnish: sumac powder, chopped parsley and more extra-virgin olive oil for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Rub extra papery skin off of whole heads of garlic. Cut tips off each clove of garlic with serrated knife to exposing a bit of garlic. Lay root side down on a sheet of aluminum foil or in a small baking dish. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over the cut end of the garlic. Crimp foil closed or cover the baking dish with foil. Roast until the garlic cloves are soft and fragrant, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Open foil and let sit until cool enough to handle.
2. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their papery skin. Discard skin and transfer the cloves to a food processor. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini and salt and puree until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Serve sprinkled with sumac, parsley and drizzled with more olive oil if desired.

NOTE: Hummus will keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Recipes yields 1 1/3 Cups.

Black Bean Chilli

Here's a recipe by Harriet Frost from our 1MW App! Our App can help you live lightly on the planet all year round! Download it for iOS here or for Android here.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 large carrots, peeled if necessary, chopped
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander, plus extra sprigs to serve
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 jalapeno chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 x 400 g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 x 400 g tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 x 800 g tin diced tomatoes
• 700 g tomato passata
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• Guacamole and lime wedges, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Stir well, then cook for 3–4 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
2. Stir in the coriander, cayenne, cumin, paprika and chilli, if using, and cook for a further 1–2 minutes or until fragrant.
3. Add the black beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato passata and stock and mix well.
4. Pulse the sweet potato to rice-sized pieces in a food processor and add to the pan.
5. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low–medium and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
6. Stir in the tomato paste, then simmer over low heat, covered, for 45 minutes–1 hour or until cooked to your liking. (For maximum flavour, let it simmer for up to 4 hours.)
7. Serve with the guacamole, lime wedges and extra coriander.

NOTE: Serves 4

Creamy Vegan Chickpea Curry

Our office manager Caroline loves this super easy curry. Recipe by Alison Andrews.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
• 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Garam Masala or Curry Powder
• ½ tsp Cumin
• ½ tsp Ground Coriander
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 (15-ounce) Cans Chickpeas Drained, or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
• 14 ounces Canned Chopped Tomatoes (1 can)
• 14 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar or Light Brown Sugar
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper To Taste
• Basmati Rice and Fresh Cilantro to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the olive oil to a pot along with the chopped onions, crushed garlic, garam masala, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper and sauté until the onions are softened.
2. Add the chickpeas, chopped tomato and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for around 10 minutes until the flavors are blended.
3. Add coconut sugar and mix in. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
4. Serve over basmati rice or cauliflower rice with some fresh cilantro.

NOTES

• We used two 15-ounce (425g) cans of chickpeas in this recipe. If you would prefer to use cooked chickpeas (not canned) then the amount to use is 3 cups. If you're using cans, there's no need to measure it in cups, just use two full cans (drained).
• Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave.

If these don't tickle your fancy, let us know what else you like cooking with pulses!

Happy Eating x

Read this next: How seed saving benefits you, your community, and the planet!

Header Image: Shutterstock, Images throughout: Unsplash