Our daily food choices have an enormous impact on both our health and the environment. The good news is that there is power in those choices.

In a world where many things seem out of our control, how we choose to nourish our bodies three times a day (or more!) is one area where we do have some control. We are also fortunate to live in a region where local foods are plentiful, and shopping options are varied.

Eating a more plant-based diet, or a “planet-based” diet, as Frances Moore Lappé, author of “Diet for a Small Planet” suggests, is better for your health and for the health of the one and only place we all call home. There exists an astounding amount of research explaining the connection between our food choices and personal and environmental health.

Most people are well aware of the connection between what they eat and their health, but many people are surprised to learn that what they eat, how they dispose of uneaten food and where and how they source their food have a significant impact on the health of our planet. The Harris Center for Conservation Education’s online resource, Recipe for a Healthy Planet, is a good place to explore for easy-access information on this subject at harriscenter.org/rhp.

Before I started cooking plant-centered meals on a regular basis, I found it challenging to come up with meatless main courses. The following recipe is an easy entrée that’s packed with nutrition, and it tastes good! The Brussels sprouts are loaded with nutrients, and the chickpeas provide plenty of protein. If you haven’t tried a plant-centered recipe before, give this one a try.

The only ingredient that may be new to you if you haven’t cooked a lot of meatless meals before is nutritional yeast, which can be found in most grocery stores. This recipe can also be found within the “Recipes” section of the Recipe for a Healthy Planet online resource.

Oven-toasted chickpeas with caramelized Brussels sprouts

This is from the kitchen of Tim Riley, a Harris Center board member, who writes, “This is one of our family’s standby recipes and has been for years. We make it with gluten-free pasta, making it both GF and dairy-free, and it’s a hit every time. It was inspired by a New York Times recipe.”

Ingredients

– Salt and pepper

– Olive oil

– One 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained

– One tablespoon margarine or vegan butter

– Three garlic cloves, minced

– One pound Brussels sprouts

– Eight ounces dried pasta, uncooked

– One to two tablespoons of nutritional yeast

– Two tablespoons of capers, drained

– One tablespoon fresh lemon juice

– One-half teaspoon red pepper flakes

– Chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, one tablespoon of olive oil, one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of ground black pepper. Spread chickpeas on a roasting sheet. Toast for approximately 10 minutes, checking to not overcook them.

Remove the outer leaves of the Brussels sprouts. Holding them by the stem end, slice thinly. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat; add margarine or vegan butter and two tablespoons of olive oil and minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, about one minute, being careful not to burn garlic.

Add Brussels sprouts, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir until tender and lightly caramelized, approximately eight to 10 minutes. Add the toasted chickpeas. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente and drain, reserving a half-cup of pasta water to use as a thickener.

Add cooked pasta to the Brussels sprouts in the Dutch oven, stir in the nutritional yeast, capers, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Use pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in pasta bowls topped with chopped fresh parsley.

For another option, add a seven-ounce can of high-quality tuna packed in oil.

Lisa Murray is the outreach manager for the Harris Center for Conservation Education and has a passion for exploring the relationship between food and human and planetary health.

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