Happy, healthy New Year !

By SA Tripi

Happy 2026! I hardly ever think of time as flying by, but this year has been exceptional in terms of hours, days, weeks and months seemingly being in full flight. We’ve celebrated our holidays. Maybe we ate or drank too much, or both, and it’s time for the resolutions. And, if you’re lucky, those resolutions may last a week. Then you’re back to the same way of doing things that made you make those resolutions in the first place. And we all do that.

Food for Thought is here to give you ideas and direction from some of what we’ve learned along the way. You can eat well and spend a reasonable amount of money and be healthy whether you are vegan, vegetarian or carnivore. And I think that is what we strive for.

One of our favorite things to eat are chickpeas. We’ve written about them in a previous article and we go back to them because they are a wonderful plant-based protein that is an excellent source of fiber. One cup of garbonzos has 14.5 grams of protein which is twenty percent of the recommended daily amount for a 185-pound adult. And they are very versatile. I want to share two of my favorite recipes.

No Tuna Tuna sandwich on sourdough bread

First, the ‘No Tuna Tuna’ recipe, which is very easy to make. You can use a bag of dried chickpeas and cook them in an Instant Pot or you can be like me and open a 16-ounce can of beans. Drain the can and put them into a food processor and make the beans to the consistency that you like. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash the beans with a big spoon or any utensil that will do the job. In a separate bowl, you can dice red or green onions, or both; celery; and kelp powder, which will give it that tuna taste; salt, pepper, and a healthy amount of dill. I use a little mayo and mustard and mix everything together. I also add other things to this dish: olives, red or yellow pepper, and hard-boiled eggs. It depends on how hearty you might want this.

This No Tuna Tuna recipe is great on sourdough and other breads, on crackers, or just eat plain. It’s so inexpensive, very tasty, and easy to throw together. It is a healthy meal (as long as you don’t overdo it with the mayo).

Another favorite in our home is Indian Chickpea soup. After you cook your chickpeas, there is one simple way to turn them into something truly delicious and simple. Add turmeric. It will give the chickpeas an earthy, warm, almost peppery taste. Turmeric is part of the ginger family so you will get a hint of that also. It has strong anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties that might help conditions involving chronic inflammation, arthritis and heart disease.

Indian Chickpea Soup
2 -15 oz cans chickpeas (This is the easier way to make this. You can also cook the beans from scratch)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thinly
I tbsp fresh ginger (remember to peel it)
½ tbsp ground dried turmeric
½ tsp chili powder
2 large tomatoes, chopped (1 ½ cups)
6 mint leaves, torn
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
Vegetable broth as needed
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cook the onions in olive oil first and then add everything except the chickpeas, tomatoes, mint and vegetable stock. You’ll cook for just a few minutes until you can smell the mixture of the spices. Then add the chickpeas, tomatoes and mint. Cook for about twelve minutes and add the vegetable broth as needed, a little at a time, to keep the chickpeas from drying out.

There are many ways to add to this meal. Try: A side of vegetables; a small delicate pasta with the chickpeas; brown or white rice mixed in or just eat
it with a hunk of bread.

Add a glass of wine – it wouldn’t hurt. A good way to start the new year.
Eat well and exercise so that we can live to fight another day!

Source: The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner

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