Full of Beans
Chickpeas are the Garbanzo
Roasted Chickpeas
Beans for Breakfast
Bean What?!
Full of Beans
Today I’m featuring chickpeas but before I get to that, I thought I would share this picture of my freezer drawer:
As you can see I keep a pretty good stockpile of beans. Dried beans are incredibly cheap and easy to prepare and freeze. They keep for several weeks and don’t have any of the sodium or other health issues involved with canned beans. I do occasionally buy canned beans but more on that later.
Chickpeas are the Garbanzo
Chickpeas are also commonly known as garbanzo beans. They are popular in the middle east, India, Greece, and Turkey. They form the basis of hummus, falafel, many curries, and have gained in popularity here in the states. Doesn’t “garbanzo” sound like the name of a super hero, magician, or WWF wrestler perhaps? The nutritional profile of the garbanzo bean, consistent with many beans, indeed makes them pretty awesome. They are packed with protein, fiber, and anti-oxidants.
Snacking on Chickpeas
Hummus is a great snack that is traditionally made with chickpeas. I have featured a hummus recipe or two in previous posts but some people are turned off by the texture. If you prefer something with a bit more crunch for snacking you can try this easy recipe for roasted chickpeas from Rachael Ray. I have made these a few time when I am really craving something salty and crunchy. They are addictive but much healthier than potato chips!
Beans for Breakfast
I discovered chickpea flour, also called besan, when I was investigating gluten free recipes for a friend. In addition to being gluten free, chickpea flour is high in protein and fiber. It’s not widely available but I found some in the organic section of a large supermarket in a nearby town. Although it can be used to bake breads and cookies I used it to make this chickpea “omelette”. This is a very simple recipe and the options for spices and flavoring are endless. You could make a sweet pancake and fill it with fruit but I like this savory version.
Blistered Tomato Besan Omelette
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon seasoning of choice (I used Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil, Garlic)
Combine chickpea flour with water and seasoning. Mix just until there were no lumps.
Heat oil over medium heat in small non-stick skillet. Add tomatoes. cook and stir until skin of tomatoes are heated through and skin appears blistered. Remove tomatoes from pan. Pour the chickpea batter into pan and cook until edges appear a bit dry. Flip and cook on other side for 1-2 minutes. Top the pancake with the tomatoes and flip one side of pancake over to form omelette. Garnish with basil if desired.
Bean What?
Although they seem to be more readily available now, dried chickpeas are not always easy to find. So yes, I do resort to the canned variety on occasion and I have recently run across an interesting culinary thread in searching for recipes that feature chickpeas/garbanzo beans. If you really, really, hate to throw anything away you might be interested to know that there is apparently a use for the the liquid that comes with the canned chickpeas. It even has a name; “aquafaba”.
Apparently, the liquid has similar properties to egg whites and can be whipped into meringues, etc. Haven’t tried this out yet but there is a pint jar of aquafaba in my frig right now just waiting to be experimented with…