Fix of the Week

Planted in early spring and harvested during the first half of the summer season, fresh garbanzo beans become readily available. When initially harvested, these

House. She is a past recipient of the Women of InspirationCarpinteria, Girls Inc. and Leadership in Arts Award from the Children’s Creative Project.

Ms. Frontado holds a master’s of public administration with an emphasis in organizational and strategic management from Cal State Northridge and a bachelor’s in economics and sociology from UCSB. She grew up in Carpinteria.

Mr. Milazzo, the St. Francis

“chickpeas” are sold fresh off the plants for a very limited window in green pods.

Encased within the pods are two or three small green beans. As the beans are left to dry, the green pods fade to yellow, and the beans take on a beige color. The texture of the beans from fresh to dried also change from a tender crunch to rock hard when fully dried out. Once dried, these garbanzo beans can be used in an array of ways, but must be processed to be palatable.

For those who attend our Saturday Santa Barbara farmers’ market on a regular basis, you have surely encountered the Baba Foods Small Batch stand that is most notably known for their extensive line of delicious hummus products. These tasty spreads, of course, are produced from Baba Foods annual harvest of garbanzo beans that were once harvested fresh, dried, then

Foundation’s new board president, is a director and investment executive for Union Bank and HighMark Capital Management in Santa Barbara.

Mr. Milazzo, an Alabama native, and his family moved to Santa Barbara in 2008 from Jackson Hole, Wy., where they were longtime residents. He has had a lifelong interest in the outdoors, and after college he worked as a mountain guide in the Wrangell

St. Elias National Park, Alaska. Mr. Milazzo attended Colgate University.

Established in 1956, the mission of the St. Francis Foundation is to promote and support healthcare in the St. Francis tradition in the Santa Barbara South Coast community, with particular attention to those most in need.

The St. Francis Foundation of Santa Barbara annually awards grants to local agencies focused on helping to relieve human suffering. Recipients include Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation, Doctors without Walls, Serenity House, Friendship Center, and Hillside House.

The Parish Nursing Program, which began at the former St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara, and which is now managed by Cottage Health, is a particular focus of the St. Francis Foundation. The program nurses work in local churches and with organizations such as PathPoint Mental Health Program, Catholic Charities, PATH, and many local service agencies. For more information, go to www. stfrancisfoundationsb.org. email: kzehnder@newspress.com simmered until soft and blended with other ingredients such as tahini, lemon juice and seasonings to create the final product. From garlic artichoke and avocado cilantro, to spicy harissa and a zesty lemon, you can typically find more than a dozen flavor offerings on any given Saturday.

In addition to hummus, which is probably the most common use for processed garbanzo beans, Baba Foods offers a couple of other products that I am quite fond of.

The first is a roasted garbanzo bean. These remind me of corn nuts, with a much lighter crunch and nuttier flavor. Roasted and tossed with olive oil and salt, these are one of my kids favorite snacks.

The other product is a chickpea flatbread.

Most are not aware that garbanzo beans can be processed into a flour-like substance and used to make breads, crackers and an array of other baked goods. Think cauliflower crust, but instead of cauliflower, Baba Foods is utilizing its protein-packed garbanzo beans in a similar fashion. Vegan and gluten free, this chickpea flatbread is ideal for those with such dietrestriction.

This week I used two of Baba Foods Small Batch products; sundried tomato chickpea flatbread and Baba Foods Lemon hummus, to produce a very simple and healthy lunch. I topped my flatbread with a little roasted turkey, but vegetarians can skip that ingredient. And smoked salmon would make for a nice substitute.

I also topped the thin rounds

Calendar

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1006 E. Main St., Ventura. Prices are $30 to $69.50 with special discounts for students, seniors, military and Equity members. Lower-priced preview performances are March 29-31. To purchase tickets, go to rubicontheatre.org.

7 p.m. Folk and country singer and songwriter Tom Russell will perform at the Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. Tickets cost $35 to $75. To purchase, go to lobero.org.

8 p.m. A gala fundraiser will take place at Music Academy of the West’s Lehmann Hall, 1070 Fairway Road, Montecito. Tickets for the gala, which includes the Voctave concert at 6:30 p.m. at the academy’s Hahn Hall, cost $150. To purchase, go to musicacademy.org.

APRIL 1

2 and 7 p.m.: Rubicon Theatre with some tomato and Persian cucumbers, which can be found this time of year from the Beylik Family Farm.

Sam Edelman is general manager of the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association and host of “Farm to Table,” which airs live 9 a.m. Thursdays on KZSB AM 1290.

CHICKPEA FLATBREAD WITH LEMON HUMMUS of Ventura will perform “Dark of the Moon: A New Musical” on Wednesdays at 2 and 7 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the theater, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. Prices are $30 to $69.50 with special discounts for students, seniors, military and Equity members. To purchase tickets, go to rubicontheatre.org.

8 ounce package chickpea flatbread (I used the sun-dried tomato flatbread).

Lemon hummus (or any flavor you prefer).

6 ounces roasted turkey.

1 large tomato, cut into rounds.

1 Persian cucumber, cut into thin flat strips.

Thinly sliced red onion.

Pinch of fresh sprouts. Olive oil.

Aged balsamic vinegar. Freshly cracked pepper. Toast the four flatbreads in the toaster oven. This can also be done over the stovetop in a lightly oiled pan, or in a conventional oven.

Once warm and slightly crispy, add a spread of lemon hummus over each and top with turkey, followed by the tomato, cucumber, red onion, and sprouts. Then finish with a very light drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic, followed by freshly cracked pepper.

Yield: Makes four rounds.

APRIL 2

2 p.m.: Rubicon Theatre of Ventura will perform “Dark of the Moon: A New Musical” on Wednesdays at 2 and 7 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the theater, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. Prices are $30 to $69.50 with special discounts for students, seniors, military and Equity members. To purchase tickets, go to rubicontheatre.org.