Sprouting upward and onward

When does a sprouted garbanzo cease to become a dried bean and become a fresh vegetable?

After swearing never to eat raw garbanzo sprouts in bulk ever again, I’ve discovered that I like cooked sprouted garbanzo beans more than I like the plain old soaked ones.  The texture is better, the flavor slightly sweeter, it takes less time to cook them and they’re easier to digest.

Which is how I ended up making this African salad tonight–not sure that it should be considered uniquely African–this is simple, obvious and delicious:

cooked garbanzos aka chickpeas.

Dress warm beans with lemon, olive oil, salt and fresh chopped parsley.  Let cool.  Eat.

As with any simple recipe, the quality of the ingredients matters.  Use fresh lemon juice and fresh parsley.  (Both of these can be frozen and then thawed, but avoid the jarred and the canned here.)  I used extra-virgin olive oil, but I think I might prefer it with a milder olive oil next  time.