Pulses are the superfood you’ve never heard of… until now. Pulses are the edible seeds of various legumes such as dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas. The term “pulses” is derived from the Latin word “pulse” which means “thick soup”.
What makes pulses delicious, affordable, and sustainable?
Pulses are packed with essential nutrients such as protein, fiber, folate, iron and potassium. Pulses can contain up to 2-3 times more protein per serving than wheat, oats, or rice. A 1/2 cup serving of lentils has as much protein as 2 cups of rice! Not only are these nutrient-dense super food seeds healthy for you, they are delicious, affordable and sustainable.
Pulses can be cooked in a million delicious ways – they can be used as a vegetable, meat substitute, and even in smoothies and desserts!
- Try a variety of cooked pulses in your favorite salad, soup, stew, curry, casserole, spaghetti or meat sauce. Adding pulses can increase the nutrient content and volume of a meal while reducing cost.
- Try incorporating pulses in your favorite dips, smoothies, brownies, cakes, and breads using chickpea or pea protein flour or mashed or pureed pulses for an extra boost of nutrients. It won’t alter the flavor of your dish very much!
Pulses are and have been a staple in many cuisines around the world for centuries. They are found in almost every supermarket or grocery store around the country and are cheaper than other protein sources like meat. The cost of one serving of lentils (1/2 cup) is about $0.10, whereas beef can cost up to $1.49 for a similar serving.
Finally, pulses are good for the environment and leave a smaller carbon footprint than other food sources, especially meat and poultry. They grow very well and provide much needed nutrients to surrounding crops. Additionally, they use one tenth of the water than other proteins. It takes only 43 gallons of water to make one pound of pulses compared to 800 – 1,800 gallons of water to produce the same amount of animal protein (beef, pork, chicken, etc.).
Now that you know how awesome pulses are, how will you use them in your next meal? See the recipe below for some inspiration! If you want other great ideas and recipes, check out USA Pulses to learn more.
Pulse Tacos
RECIPE CONTRIBUTED BY: Chef Michael Smith
Source: pulses.org
Course: Dinner
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Total Time: 45 min
Yield: 12 tacos
Serves:
Ingredients
- Pulse Filling:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onion thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp chili powder (heaping) (18 mL)
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 1 cup lentils green, (250 mL)
- 1 19 oz can chickpeas or your favourite beans; rinsed and drained
- 2 cups water (500 mL)
- 1⁄2 tsp salt (2 mL)
- 1⁄2 tsp hot sauce your favourite
- Taco Toppings:
- head lettuce Bibb or iceberg
- 12 taco shells hard
- few handfuls cheddar cheese or taco blend; shredded
- salsa Your favourite
- large bunch cilantro fresh
- 2 lime cut into wedges
Directions
- Make the pulse filling:
- Splash the vegetable oil into a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Sauté until the vegetables soften and the spice flavours brighten, 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the lentils, beans, water, and salt. Bring the works to a slow, steady simmer. Cover tightly and continue slowly cooking until the lentils are tender, 35 minutes or so. Stir in the hot sauce.
- Assemble the tacos:
- Fit a full leaf of lettuce into a hard taco shell. This will hold the fillings in when the hard shell inevitably breaks. Fill each taco with a heaping spoonful of the lentil bean filling. Pack with cheese, salsa, and cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges and share!
Amount Per Serving (12)
- Calories: 200
- Protein: 8g
- Sugar: 4g
- Carbohydrate: 27 g
- Fat: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fiber: 5g
Powered by
