(Bonus points to anyone who can identify the source of this title.)

No, really, this is a post about chickpeas. The garbanzo. The ceci bean. Sounds boring, but trust me, you'll want to keep reading... and then get into the kitchen and begin eating.

I was always sort of ambivalent about chickpeas. I mean, sure, I love hummus and falafel, but plain? They were just a bland, mushy item I'd skip over on the salad bar. I never really bothered cooking with them either. (My one attempt at falafel was less than impressive.)

But oh, how that's changed. Now, I am obsessed with the chickpea. There are two recipes that have changed my view of them entirely: Orangette's Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Parmesan and 101 Cookbook's Ultimate Veggie Burger (it has a different name in her Super Natural Cooking cookbook, which is where we first found the recipe, but this one appears to be exactly the same). There are so many other recipes based on the chickpea on 101 Cookbooks... I can't wait to try them!

The chickpea salad with lemon and parmesan has become a lunchtime staple. It is so easy (5 ingredients!), requires no cooking, and is SO fresh and flavorful. I have to be careful not to steal too many forkfuls when I make a batch or I won't have enough left for lunch. I use Trader Joe's organic chickpeas, which is one of the ones Molly suggests in her recipe, and they are perfect. Not at all mealy and mushy... I can eat them straight from the can (after a quick drain and rinse, of course). Perhaps it is actually finally finding a good brand of canned chickpea that has made all the difference in my opinion.

The veggie burgers are just as delicious as the salad, if not more so. It's a bit more work than the salad, of course, but well worth it. The first time we made them, we ate them as suggested -- cut in half with the fillings stuck inside. We ended up freezing and reheating the leftovers, which left them less firm than when they were freshly cooked, so we just topped those patties with the fillings instead and it worked just fine. Our toppings of choice were pea shoots, avocado, havarti and sriracha, but I can imagine a variety of toppings would go well with this burger. I think they'd also be delicious tucked into a pita with some cucumber yogurt sauce and sliced tomatoes, like falafel.

By the way, I would highly, HIGHLY recommend buying Super Natural Cooking, or at least checking it out of your local library. It is currently my favorite cookbook. It makes healthy, whole-food cooking very accessible.

Let me know if you try out either of these recipes or check out the cookbook!