5 Reasons to #LovePulses
When I first heard the word pulses, I honestly don’t know what it was. So let me start this post by identifying what is pulses? They are edible seeds of plants in the legume family (chickpeas, lentils, dry peas and bean varieties).
This year 2016 is the International Year of Pulses, with that the US Embassy headed by US Ambassador to the Philippines, Philip S. Goldberg hosted a trade reception at his residence in Forbes Park last Tuesday.
I was honored to be part of the selected crowd. The goal of the event is to raise public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses that is also tagged as Superfood.
To give you an idea here are the 5 Reasons to Love Pulses:
1. NUTRITIOUS
- Good source of protein – lentils deliver double the protein per serving of quinoa
- Excellent source of Fiber – Dry peas have 4x more fiber than brown rice
- High in antioxidants – per serving, red kidney beans have higher antioxidant content than blueberries and pomegrante juice
- Gluten Free, sodium- free, cholesterol-free
- Iron- rich – one serving of chickpeas contain more than twice as much iron as one 3oz. serving of chicken breast
- Good source of Potassium – one serving of dry peas contains as much potassium as a banana
- Excellent source of folate – chickpeas conatin 3x more folate per serving than kale
2. AFFORDABLE – Pulses are a lot cheaper than other source of proteins such beef, pork and chicken.
3. SUSTAINABLE – Pulse crops are:
- Natural Fertilizers – pulses enrich the soil where they grow, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers
- Drought-tolerant and frost hardy – pulse crops can grow in harsh environments
- Low Carbon footprint – pulse crops have a lower carbon footprint than many other food groups, including most meat and grain products.
- Water-efficient source of protein – pulse crops require little or no irrigation. It only takes 43 gallons of water to produce 1lb of pulses compared to the 1,857 gallons of water for 1lb. of beef
4. VERSATILE – you can use pulses to create a lot of dishes in lieu of meat.
5. DELICIOUS – you can check out this site www.cookingwithpulses.com for recipes using pulses.
With regards to dishes using pulses, we were treated to a delightful dinner at the US Ambassadors residence.
sweetened red bean paste batons (this was my fave among all the dishes served that night)
I forgot the whole name of this one but if my memory serves me right, this is roasted cod fish with cherry tomato, dip in pulse dip
curried chicken and split pea phyllo
tagine of chicken with U.S. chick peas and sundried tomotoes in zucchini cups
falafel balls with sriracha yoghurt dressing. I find this spicy for my taste buds
cheese and chili in wanton cups
spicy sausage and U.S. chickpeas stew in bite size bouchee puff pastry
spinach and artichoke and chickpea dip with garlic flavoured melba rounds or corn tortilla chips
Three U.S. bean and tuna salad
salad
Here’s US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg welcoming the press, explaining about the pulses and answering questions.
Pulse Association of the Philippines (PAP) was also present at the event. It is currently headed by Venu Kotamraju, CEO of Ram Food Products. The other founding members include Century Pacific Corporation, Commodity Quest, Ideal Macaroni & Spaghetti Factory, JBC Food, M&T Food, Trans-Millennium Mercantile, Universal Robina, Vitachem, WL Foods and food experts such as Jill Sandique, Virgith Buena and Hek Hoogenkamp.
Overall, I learned a lot from this event. I am looking forward to eat and use the pulses they gave us.
Ambassador Goldberg also encouraged everyone to sign up for the “Pulse Pledge” at www.pulsepledge.com, to commit to eating pulses once per week for 10 weeks and receives recipes and small prizes along the way.
Visit https://pulses.asia/ to learn more about pulses.
Thank you so much for having me sir 🙂
Leave a Reply