Garbanzos are in. Literally. Right now you can find them fresh at your local grocery or farmer's market. The spring harvest brings with it a bounty of shelling beans: snap peas, fava beans, all manner of legumes make their appearance at this time of year.

If you eat these when they are in the season, you'll find they are at their peak with lots of flavor and good nutrition: Garbanzo beans are high in protein, fiber, manganese, folate, and iron -- they pack quite a punch for a little legume. In fact, nutritionists recommend pairing garbanzos with whole grains to create a protein source that is comparable to meat or dairy.

Fresh garbanzos or chick peas as they are also known, come in a pod,  with one or two beans to a pod. You can pop them out of their jackets and eat them raw. You’ll find that they are green and have a crunchy texture, totally different from cooked and canned garbanzos. They have a delicate, slightly nutty flavor, with notes of freshly cut spring grass, most unlike dried or canned garbanzos.

I bought a pound of garbanzos during my weekly trek to the supermarket (our local farmer's market was sold out), and when I got home, I turned on some classic rock ‘n roll and set to shelling them. This is, of course, a tedious process, but well worth the time it takes. Nothing tastes like fresh green garbanzo beans!

When I finished, that one pound of beans ended up being about nine ounces. I resisted the temptation to eat them like popcorn, since I planned on sauteeing them for future use.

Fresh garbanzo sauté

1 Tbls. olive oil for sauteing the beans
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, divided (see Note)
1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 lb.  fresh garbanzo beans
Juice from a half a medium-sized lemon
Note: The amount of garlic depends on your tolerance for the stinking rose; my family loves it, so I generally use two cloves.

Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. When it shimmers, add half the garlic and all the rosemary. Toss the beans in and give them a stir. As they heat, they will turn a brighter shade of green. Let them sizzle in the pan for about 2-3 minutes. Occasionally shake the pan or stir the beans for even cooking. Some of the smaller beans will turn a toasty brown -- this is ok.  Just before you pull them off the stove, stir in the rest of the garlic.

Set the garbanzos in a heat-proof bowl to cool. Squeeze the lemon over the beans and toss.

Once cooled, use them in salads or as a garnish or side dish. Or, if you’re like me and my husband, you grab a spoon and dig in!

© Luvs Good Food 2016

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