I think chickpeas are my favourite food. They are such versatile little things. I like eating them plain, with eggs at breakfast, making hummus, adding them to curries and stews, using the flour as a pizza base and most recently I've been making socca - a chickpea bread with herbs and spices.
Nutritionally speaking they are full of fibre, protein, minerals and vitamins, and they have a low GI Index rating so excellent for controlling blood sugar levels. One cup of chickpeas has 4.7mg of iron so for those following a vegan diet this is something that would be beneficial to consume regularly.
Some people find beans and pulses quite difficult on the digestive system in which case moderation is best. I also suggest soaking pulses and beans over night before using them as this helps to reduce the hard to digest carbohydrate that can cause gas in some people.
Here is my beautiful Socca bread that I served with beetroot hummus (perhaps a little of chickpea overload!!) and a crunchy chickpea recipe that makes the perfect blood sugar balancing snack.
s o c c a b r e a d
df, gf, ve
1 cup chickpea flour (4 1/2 ounces)
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan and drizzling
1/2 teaspoon salt
herbs and spices: be experimental, I used 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika and lots of fresh rosemary from my garden.
method
whisk the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, salt and herbs together in a medium bowl until smooth
rest for 30 minutes to give the flour time to absorb the water.
preheat the oven to 200C. Preheat either a cast iron skillet or a baking tray (either works, one you get round bread, one rectangular!) for 5 minutes before you are ready to cook the bread
coat the bottom of the pan with some oil and then add the batter mix.
cook for 8 minutes, and for the final 3 - 5 minutes turn the oven to grill and grill until golden brown
cut into which ever shape you fancy and either serve alone, with curries, or with a homemade dip such as hummus :)
c r u n c h y c h i c k p e a s
df, gf, ve
2 x 400g tin chickpeas (preferably organic)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
method
preheat oven to 160C
wrap the chickpeas in some kitchen towel and lightly roll to loosen the skins, then discard
combine the chickpeas and the remaining ingredients, and coat evenly
arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes
leave to cool, can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week
Enjoy! Love Rachel x
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