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24 March 2008

chickpeas

dried chickpeas

I'm pretty sure I didn't eat my first chickpea until I was well in my 20s.

How did I survive?

The first taste came from a packaged container of hummus I bought at the Thriftway on Vashon. My little island was a bastion of hippiedom, and so the store stocked foods I had never seen before. Even though I had been a vegetarian for years, I still stuck to the same foods I had eaten all my life, without the meat. Those years of my late 20s, I began to discover how the rest of the world ate. And hummus came home with me, one adventurous evening.

Hummus has stayed with me ever since.

I've learned to make it myself now. Tender chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, sea salt, a pinch of lemon, perhaps some herbs. When I bought a good food processor, I whirled up batches two or three times a week, sinking warm pita slices into the silky golden pillows. Usually, I ate half a batch before I scooped out the rest into a Tupperware container to last me the next few days.

I still love hummus. Today, I just eschew the pita and go for sliced cucumbers or ripe tomatoes instead.

However, it took me until I said goodbye to gluten to say hello to chickpeas in other forms than hummus.

These days, I just can't seem to take in enough protein. The first three months of my pregnancy were the season of meat. The Chef brought home lamb chops, slices of beef tenderloin, roasted chicken, and pork loin, every night. There was fish, too, good fish without mercury or farm-raised pasts, the kind of fish that grows strong brains (or so the literature says). I swear, I was making up for those vegetarian years.

But these days, I'm lingering on legumes; simmering beans in olive oil; cooking up green lentils with rosemary, garlic, and bay leaves; soaking large white beans overnight to slip into soups the next day. Mostly, though, I'm gobbling up chickpeas.

In the late afternoon, for much of the first few months of my pregnancy, I ate one snack in the late afternoon. Shaved fennel salad with lemon and olive oil, plus some fabulous cheese. (Last week it was Pyrenees semi-soft with green peppercorns). In fact, I've had this one so much that the Chef actually said to me, "Enough with the fennel salad. We're going to have to see if there's a kicking-the-fennel-habit support group for you." I laughed. Perhaps he's worried that Little Bean will have fennel fronds sprouting from the ears.

Easy to fix that. I just switched to chickpeas.

Really, it's so simple. Take chickpeas out of a can (make them organic, from a good source. They'll taste better). Rinse them off of that semi-gelatinous gunk. After draining, sprinkle them with Maldon salt, a pinch of pepper, some high-quality olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and shreds of fresh mozzarella. Eat.

oh heavens, I think you'll want to eat some more the next day.

But the convenience of the can steals the pleasure of working with dried chickpeas. Look at that photo above. Notice the folds and furls, like the forehead of old men. (Actually, as the Chef said when I showed him this photograph, they look like the faces of the two old men in the balcony of the Muppet show.) Dried chickpeas look like tiny dessicated brains, or the thousand folds on the legs of babies, just above the knees.

None of this may be making you want to eat them. But really, you want to. Soak the chickpeas overnight in a goodly amount of water, and then cook them until they are tender. Working with the dried beans makes them much more tasty than the canned ones will ever be.

And I haven't ever eaten a fresh chickpea. But this summer, I'm going to try to find some.

I've worked a bit with chickpea flour, and I want to try more. One of the most memorable bites of our honeymoon in Italy happened in Florence. I ate golden-toasty cecina (the Florentine name for a hot pancake made with chickpea flour), filled with thin slices of prosciutto, drizzled with truffle butter. Need I say more?

(I believe that the taste of chickpeas in packaged hummus is to cecina in Florence as puppy love with the photographs of boys in Tiger Beat is to daily love with the Chef.)

And now I'm hungry for more.

On Sunday, we're having our monthly ingredient potluck. For March, it's chickpeas. That's partly for the vegetarians, to give them a break after the bacon party. But it's also a chance for me to pick up new ideas for my favorite legume.

So, what would you bring? What floats your chickpea boat?

68 Comments:

At 10:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It probably isn't the healthiest way to eat them- but a company over here does roasted chick nuts with garlic and herbs and salt. They're amazing and I can easily down a big jar in a day (thats appealing isn't it! lol)

 
At 11:47 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I first encountered chickpeas in college, in the forms of hummus and falafel, both of which I adore. One of my strongest taste memories from my early 20's is of falafel sandwiches from the truck that parked each day at the edge of the MIT campus, a couple of blocks from my office. Oh, those were good!

I love to cook chickpeas with curry spices, tomato, lemon, chiles... hot, tart and pungent contrasts to their lovely creaminess.

 
At 12:53 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chickpeas, just boiled in salt water till tender, then kept in a steamer for warmth. Used to be a fairly common sight here in Singapore, in the night markets, but I think it's dwindling :(

I still make them like that at home though :) Really good, and simple

 
At 2:28 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mmm, chickpeas! It would be a toss-up between a chickpea veggie curry and some onion baji/pakoras made with chickpea flour.

I also love cold (tinned is fine) chickpeas with salt, pepper, lemon and a spoon of low-fat natural yoghurt as a snack, and the chick-pea chips my local whole foods place sells. =o)

 
At 4:45 AM, Blogger Shirley said...

Hummus is a staple these days, with veggies or tortilla chips. I occasionally do the roasted chick peas myself with olive oil, garlic, and salt ... amazingly good. However, Gluten Free Gobsmacked just posted on Fried Chickpeas, saying they actually melt in your mouth. I want to try those, too. :-) Last week, I made a vegetarian chili for a friend who eats vegetarian and while the recipe didn't call for chick peas, I added them and I thought they added a nice crunch, and of course, more protein. (I do believe our bodies tell us when we need more protein. The Little Bean needs it!) Can't wait for the report on the different chick pea concoctions you all come up with!

 
At 4:46 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I discovered the hard way that too many chickpeas, or too much chickpea flour, gives me terrible heartburn. Not that it stops me. :)I eat them roasted too, frequently using this recipe.

and I use chickpea flour to make socca or farinata.

 
At 5:31 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

One of my most favorite beans!!! Thank you for this opportunity to share. 3 out of 4 people in our home choose hot cooked chickpeas with a dollop of butter with salt&pepper. Very simple I know. I cook up 6 lbs of beans(3 kinds) every 2 months to store in the freezer. Still tase much better than canned, only have to thaw, and put to use in soup, mashed, salads... the list goes on.
Wendy

 
At 5:50 AM, Blogger cool yiddishe mama said...

I'm new to gluten-free eating and have been "lurking" on your blog after I read your book. If I were to come to your potluck, I would bring my chickpea-spinach curry cooked in coconut milk. For dessert, I could also bring a chocolate garbanzo bean cake (currently being adapted to GF).

Makes sense that little bean would want to eat some legumes now.

 
At 6:01 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please can you post the recipe for the shaved fennel salad with lemons and olive oil and cheese? It sounds wonderful but fennel is not something I'm used to using so don't really know what to do with it!

 
At 6:37 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I came to chickpeas late in life also, as the only way I'd been exposed to them through most of my childhood was the ever-present three been salad my mom would take to potlucks (canned kidney beans, canned garbanzos, canned green beans-ack-, and italian dressing... yukk!!!). But hummus won me over, and this year I've been sauteeing them with lots of African spice blends, greens, garlic and lemon and roasting my own with a bit of oil and lots of spices until they're crisp and an addictive snack. I have to agree about the cooked dried ones, they are a million times better than the ones out of the can. And the fresh ones? Spectacular! None of the grainy innards, just smooth, buttery and garbanzoey tasting. They may be in season right now, as I just bought a bag at the farmer's market last week! Now I have to go cook them for breakfast.....

 
At 6:37 AM, Blogger CatherineMarie said...

I love hummous, but you forgot the garlic!

Marinated chickpeas, in fresh herbs, a little lemon, vinegar (white balsamic) olive oil, and garlic.

Or tossed into gf pasta with some feta (or add feta to the above salad with some tomato) and tomato and red pepper...

Or straight from the can...

I need to play with chickpea flour...

mmmm chickpeas.

Or best of all, in falafel. mmmmmm. those are so good made fresh, with cucumber/yogurt sauce...

And now I'm hungry. grrrr.

 
At 6:44 AM, Blogger s'kat said...

While it's not pure chickepea gorgeousness, I absolutely love Texas Caviar made with chickpeas.

Heidi also had a really cool veggie burger type recipe made from chickepeas: Sprouted Garbanzo Burgers.

 
At 6:53 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Canned Tuna in Olive oil, with the olive oil and a bit of vinegar, salt, pepper, and can of chickpeas...oh goodness it is 9am and my mouth is watering! I could eat this everyday!

 
At 7:16 AM, Blogger Elizabeth said...

When I make hummous, I replace the olive oil and lemon with goat's-milk yogurt. Gives it a nice light texture and lovely tang.

For the rest, though I can't think of any particular recipe, though I also love chickpeas. My salad bar buffet plate would often be a pile of chickpeas with toasted sunflower seeds and some Italian (before the days of 'vinaigrette' this was) dressing. I have been eating less meat lately and am rediscovering beans, though rarely have the patience or forethought to use the dried ones.

I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's ideas.

 
At 7:28 AM, Blogger Lindsay said...

I loved this post: I adore chickpeas too. I like to make them into a salad. Similar to your actually -- out of can for this one, with fresh thyme and basil, good olive oil qith lemon, home-made thin as paper slices of pickled red onion (you know -- salt, pepper, vinegar, sugar), fresh heirloom tomatoes and a good full milk feta (Israeli or French are my preferences). I usually serve it with chicken or just on greens or GF toast. Yum!

 
At 7:47 AM, Blogger Whimsy Valentine said...

at our cafe we cook them in a pressure cooker before serving them up with lots of yummy spices in the form of daal... with fresh spinach and rice - a yummier lunch in hollywood is hard to find!

 
At 7:51 AM, Blogger The Peanut Butter Boy said...

Beat me to it, I too would make roasted chickpeas with garlic and chili spices. Since that's taken, I'd make a chickpea, wild rice, parsley and dried cranberry salad. My second idea would be a chickpea and cucumber salad with olive oil and lemon juice.

- The Peanut Butter Boy

 
At 7:58 AM, Blogger Lora said...

I love to roast my own chickpeas. Pat them dry, toss with a tiny bit of olive oil and your favorite spice/herb blend, and then roast at 425-450 until they are crunchy. I eat way more of them in a single sitting than I really should!

 
At 9:00 AM, Blogger Caitlin said...

Last spring I had the unique opportunity to participate in the cooking of fresh chickpeas! My friend who's an amazing chef was making a dish, and I got to help. They come from a really beautiful and ornate stalk. So I "shelled" the chickpeas (they were *green*!) and then she cooked them with eggplant, olive oil, onion, and I think those baby red peppers, the sweet/ spicy ones, and then served it by putting a spoonful or two of that delectable mixture into a curved endive leaf. Truly SO flavorful!!

 
At 9:11 AM, Blogger Lakshmi said...

Wow - loads of Indian recipes!Sweet-spicy chhole with tamarind and chhole masala or pomegranate-roasted cumin spice blend garnished with lemon juice and loads of verdant cilantro.

Chaat with spicy onions, tamarind-date-jaggery chutney, pomegranate seeds (looks fabulous!), cilantro chutney, chopped tomatoes... mmmm.

Pakoras! With whatever filling you like - potatoes or ripe bananas or root veggies or onions - perfect with masala tea on a rainy evening!

 
At 9:15 AM, Blogger Allison the Meep said...

Haha! I love that the Chef thinks the dried chickpeas look like Waldorf and Statler!

I think besides hummus, I really love throwing chickpeas in a salad of arugula or baby romaine and a bunch of other goodies, with just a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, then sprinkled with crumbled goat cheese. Ohhhh lordy.

 
At 9:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing your favorite way to eat chickpeas. i'm eating it just like that as i write this and it's very good!

 
At 10:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I tried to make a flour-less chickpea chocolate cake recipe that was posted as gluten free on a recipe website. As many of my experiments in baking, it was an utter failure. I don't use eggs and they must have been essential for the leavening. Needless to say my cake was more like baked chocolate mush.... However, the taste was good with orange juice and orange zest to bring out the chocolate. It sounds like such an interesting recipe, I wonder if any of you can make it work. http://www.nigella.com/recipes/recipe.asp?article=3265

 
At 10:41 AM, Blogger Calli said...

I make my own falafel. It relies on the use of a big food processor. I take a can of rinsed chickpeas/garbanzo beans/whatever people call them and grind them up. I add bell peppers and curry powder and then, with a silicone spatula, mix in just enough brown rice flour to make it stick together enough to handle. I form it into patties (they're very delicate) and pan fry them until they look done. I used to bake them afterwards, just to make sure, but I don't anymore because it's just not needed.

I serve them with dill-yogurt. They're really very good; one of my husband's favorite. Actually, I think I'll make them for dinner tonight.

- Callista

 
At 10:42 AM, Blogger Melissa said...

Last night I tossed some into a salad with some corn, greens, goat cheese, cukes, and tomatoes. Delicious, little, crunchy additions.

I'm a hummus addict, though. I've been making some really lemony batches lately with a healthy squirt of sri racha hot sauce. Uh mah gah, so good.

 
At 11:05 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know it will sound weird, but my easy-peasy-I-a-m-so-tired-but-want-comfort-food-for-dinner dish is chickpeas (canned) mixed with white rice, butter, a drop of worstershire, and a sprinkle of garlic salt.

 
At 11:42 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I was a kid I lived in Greece for a year. Over there it was common to dump a small bag of chickpeas into your coke bottle before drinking it. Kinda weird but fun, it would make the coke fizz more. The coke would also soften the dried chickpeas for a somewhat strange sweet snack.

Darcy

 
At 12:01 PM, Blogger sweetpea said...

Hummos! Every week I try a new variation, my favorites are good old lemony hummos, sun dried tomato and pesto. The vegetables are simply a vehicle for the hummos. I also love making traditional indian vegetable fritters with chickpea flour I grind myself and curries. What a great ingredient for a spring potluck party. Enjoy!

 
At 12:24 PM, Blogger Jennywenny said...

I like to make myself a big batch of chickpea burgers in a muffin tin. I just blend them up with a bit of marinara sauce and then bake them until they are solid, and they make a nice snack, or a good lunch with a bit of salad.

I do love gram flour in pancakes too.

I also had the best chickpea soup with spinach and moroccan spices this week at my favourite restaurant!

 
At 2:55 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I highly recommend a Jamie Oliver recipe for leek and chickpea soup - very healthy and soooo satisfying. I wrote up the recipe (with a few twists) here:

http://www.toomanychefs.com/archives/001032.php

Gotta love those chickpeas - I only discovered them when I was 16 and working in an Arby's of all places, and they were in the salad bar. Oddly enough, the industrial canned versions did not put me off and I still love them!

 
At 3:23 PM, Blogger anna/village vegan said...

Hmmm...I think I'd bring chickpeas, braised Spanish-style with lots of garlic and spinach, thickened with bread, and seasoned with salt and a few generous shakes of vinegar.

 
At 3:44 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, hummus and falafel rule my world :-) There's a great Lebanese stall at the Dun Laoghaire market that does flat bread, smeared with hummus, with hot falafel smushed on top and scattered with salad and tabbouleh. I always have a big smile on my face when I know we can make the trip over there at weekends. That's the good stuff!

As for what I'd make... Heidi from 101 Cookbooks has a Manui Surf Salad with chickpeas, sweet potatoes/butternut squash and Thai flavours that is just out of this world.

 
At 5:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Two days ago I sampled this most amazing transformation of chickpeas into creamy melt-in-your-mouth flourless brownies:

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
4 eggs
15 oz. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup maple syrup (or sugar of your choice)
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate chips in double boiler or over very low heat, stirring until melted. Blend eggs and chickpeas in a blender until smooth. Add melted chocolate, sweetener and baking powder and blend until smooth. Pour batter into a lightly greased baking pan (8"x8" or pie plate works well) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

I can’t wait to try this myself!!
Kris

 
At 6:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

veal in cubes, coconut milk, garlic, cinnamon stick.. and when all is cooked a can of chickpeas... serve this over a bowl of cous-cous or whatever inspires you (rice, vegies...)

MMMM!! I'm hungry and I need to fix something to feed my family.. I'll read all the comments later!!

Enjoy and Thanks!

 
At 6:04 PM, Blogger Ellen said...

Love chickpeas. I like to marinate chickpeas & crumbled feta with fennel seeds, coriander, crushed chile flakes, garlic, olive oil, and lemon...add parsley...and then mix both with pasta (made this with brown rice pasta recently) & spinach...

If I have marinated chickpeas on hand, pasta salad is a snap.

I also just like mashing well-cooked chickpeas with a fork and spreading them on toast, maybe sprinkled with a little salt.

 
At 6:23 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Aww the roasted Chickpeas sound very good. I learned this from Rachel Ray. I take cooked or you could use canned chickpeas and toss them in a pan over medium heat and toast them up till browned. Also try using paprika, chili powder and garlic powder on them and then toast up a great snack to put out while waiting for the rest of the food. We serve at Thanksgiving as a starter snack.

 
At 6:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would bring pasta e ceci. It's probably my favorite way to eat chickpeas. Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, chickpeas, rosemary, sage, and olive oil blended but still really chunky, cooked with stubby gluten free pasta. Man, I think I need to make that this week.

 
At 6:11 AM, Blogger Andrea said...

We like to call them "bum-bums" over here. *grin*. They really look like tiny butts!!

 
At 6:13 AM, Blogger Andrea said...

We like to call them "bum-bums" over here. *grin*. They really look like tiny butts!!

 
At 6:46 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love them in soup with Moroccan spices and any sort of bitter leafy green. My name links to a favorite recipe.

 
At 7:44 AM, Blogger sarah marie said...

Oh gosh, I love chickpeas. I love them in curry with cauliflower, squash, and other veggies - yum! And I also love to roast them, tossed with olive oil, curry powder, a dash of cayenne, and a pinch of ginger and salt until they get crisp on the outsides. This is just delicious!

 
At 8:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My favorite hummus ever was made by Sabra Salads. They used mayonnaise in it, but they made it taste so creamy and good. The pasta recipe in the comment section sounds delicious. Along those lines, I would like something like a cacciatore with chick peas. You could simmer the sauce (gravy) with chick peas and chicken, or potatoes, or rice. The possibilties are endless. Chick peas and tomatoes go together like peanutbutter and jelly.

 
At 8:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh Dear,

I just wrote a comment on chick peas where I said that chick peas and tomatoes go together like peanutbutter and jelly. I pressed anonymous by accident.

Sho

 
At 11:04 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Besan!

 
At 11:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm a fellow addict to the little beans I so affectionately call 'cowabunga beans' (something a little sister came up with after not being able to remember garbanzo, I think.) I like to saute brussels sprouts with onions in olive oil, until the onions and sprouts are caramelized and sweet (adding some rose wine to help it along:)... then tossing in a can of the creamy garbanzos to brown just a minute along with the rest. A meal unto itself!

Chrissy

 
At 1:08 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

toss them with olive oil, cumin, paprika, cayenne, oregano or whatever combination of herbs and spices strikes my fancy, put them on a baking sheet and under the broiler until they're crispy toasty on the outside and warm and mealy inside. messy oily spicy fingers, but that's part of the fun.

 
At 2:48 PM, Blogger hungryandfrozen said...

To the anonymous person above who tried that chocolate chickpea cake from nigella.com...I have made the same cake, it is amazing! I'm pretty sure the eggs are what hold it together, so I wouldn't want to leave them out personally. There is a picture and recipe on my blog somewhere in the archives if you can be bothered...Anyway it is a pretty astonishing use of chickpeas, the cake tastes like 'real' baking iykwim.

I love chickpeas any old way - in soups, in curries, in hummous. They are worth the wait to cook them from scratch though!

 
At 3:30 PM, Blogger MsJess said...

I love chickpea and potato curry. I found a great recipe on simplyrecipes where you simmer chickpeas, potatos and tomato in some curry and spices and then serve it over rice. It's wonderful. But I might have to try some of your ideas out since I have an can handy.

 
At 4:06 PM, Blogger here I am! said...

um not to toot my own blorn ( blog & horn combined) but my last post was about scary chickpeas.
I did an experiment with them that was super freaky.
If you eat them as much as I do, you will understand my concern.
drop by if you have the time!
ps love your blog.

 
At 8:55 PM, Blogger Ellen said...

I just made something that combines your last two posts...a sort of hummus-y spread with chickpeas & olives! I had this huge jar of olive paste--good stuff, but a little too strong & salty to eat very much of it straight. I blended a big can of chickpeas with a fat blob of leftover tomato paste, a tiny bit of olive oil, a couple of good-sized spoonfuls of the olive paste, a couple cloves of garlic, and just a little cream cheese to round out the strong flavors... *So good.* Addictive on crackers.

 
At 6:04 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I grew up loving Arroz con Garbanzos (rice with chickpeas, cuban style), this recipe is similar to what my mom used to make: http://tinyurl.com/ywno87
Short grain rice works best for this recipe. Yum!

 
At 9:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Woah, I have never heard of roasted chickpeas but I am surely going to try it.

My favorite way is something my Persian housemate used to do. Sautee onions and garlic, add spices (I can't remember exactly what he used, I think it was cumin, paprika, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, cayenne, salt and pepper) then stew the garbanzos with chicken stock and tomatoes. Once he added eggplant and stewed it for hours until it practically dissolved, giving the beans a thick medium to swim in. Oh, this brings back memories. "The thing about eggplant is you have to cook the shit out of it!" he used to say. I haven't contacted him in ages, I'm going to email him right now!

 
At 10:59 AM, Blogger Caitlin said...

Just discovered another one last night... plain chickpeas dressed with good kosher pickle brine! Garlic, vinegar, dill, yum! And a few cut-up pickles in there too.

 
At 11:37 AM, Blogger Dk's Wife said...

I love chick peas!!! I make my hummus from dried chick peans that I cook. I usually turn my hummus into more of a Mexican dish by adding cumin, corriander, chili poweder, garlic, salt and pepper! I add either olive or sesame oil to it! Ah, I love that stuff.

 
At 1:23 PM, Blogger jbeach said...

I must say, Orangette's recipe for chickpeas and kale is one of my absolute favorites, and very simple: just the beans, some winter greens, onions, garlic, lemon juice, s&p! With or without a poached egg on top, it is divine..

 
At 2:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've learnd a new way to make a fabulous hummus. Bake until soft, a red onion, garlic, eggplant, and a red pepper with a splash of good quality olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend it together until smooth (great by itself). Blend with chickpeas, salt, pepper, a little more olive oil until smooth. Delicious. I crave this stuff, especially with glutino's crackers. It's fabulous with a little parmesan cheese on top. Great hot and cold. I hope you all enjoy this recipe!

 
At 4:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Mayo Clinic cookbook has an amazing receipe using Chickpea flour to make a polenta like base. The receipe tops it with tomatoes, olives and cheese - but at my house we also love it with sauted leafy greens, onions, anything.

 
At 6:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also have celiac disease, and I've had problems with packaged dried chick peas. I imagine it's because they're processed on the same equipment with gluten containing grains like barley. In fact, I've had problems with a lot of dried beans for what seems to be the same reason. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Valerie

 
At 7:40 PM, Blogger h. e. c. said...

i just got your book in the mail. :)

 
At 9:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have not tried this but it looks amazing: a flat bread made with garbanzo bean flour. It's called socca. This site is a great resource for gluten free kosher/dairy-free/parve recipes.

http://glutenfreebay.blogspot.com/2006/10/joy-of-socca.html

 
At 9:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think you are supposed to stay away from soft and semi-soft cheeses when pregnant due to possibility of Listeria. Hard cheeses are okay. Don't mean to be a downer, but better safe than sorry.

Re: chickpeas, I am in love with the recipe from Orangette with olive oil, grated cheese and lemon juice. It's simple and amazing.

 
At 2:11 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love making my own BAKED (yah, that's right) falafel.

For me the less the fat - the better.

Love chikpeas..

 
At 2:16 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

HI,
I forgot to add the link to the pictures:

http://www.bishulog.co.il/blog/2007/12/01/%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%A4%D7%9C-%D7%90%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%99/

Have a nice weekend!

 
At 11:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sauté 1/2 chopped onion with 1 clove garlic in olive oil.

As onion garlic mixture begisn to carmalize add 1 T. curry powder.

Add 1 can diced stewed tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

Add 1 can drained and rinsed chick peas.

Add 1 box thawed spinach; stir to combine all ingredients and until heated throughout.

Serve topped with parmesan and basil or fresh chopped herb of your choice.

When I am feeling ambitious I use all fresh ingredients. Otherwise, this is quick, healthy and very tasty, especially on a raw winter's day.

 
At 9:37 PM, Blogger Beth said...

Just this year I discovered how much better rehydrated chickpeas are than the canned ones. When I was a vegetarian and not GF, I ate chickpeas with pasta, vegetables and sometimes cottage cheese. These days I usually toss them onto a green salad for lunch.

 
At 10:06 AM, Blogger Rebekah Benson-Flannery said...

A couple of years ago, a chef in simple Paris bistro served me a chickpea salad that I devour all summer long: chickpeas with olive oil, a bit of sliced red onion, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper. It is so simple, but so good. It is a perfect gluten-free lunch during oh-so-humid D.C. summers...

 
At 6:28 PM, Blogger celticjig said...

I love chick peas in the form of Pakora, sometimes known as bhaji, an Indian snack that is deep fried. It utilizes chick pea flour and what ever veggies and spices you have around. Accompanied with a cilantro mint chutney, they are out of this world! Here is a pic of some: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59088218@N00/461978906/
If this strikes your chickpea fancy, I will be happy to email the very versatile recipe to you, or you can just search online. I realized when looking for a post from my blog to link to, that I haven't actually posted the recipe and will soon. Happy besan/chickpea eating!
Ginger

 
At 7:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I made hummus a few weeks ago and whirled in some leftover roasted carrots and a pinch of ground cumin - beautiful and delicious!

This grainy salad is perfectly portable and will satisfy your need for rice and chick peas:
http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2008/03/12/day-72-brown-wild-rice-and-barley-salad-with-chick-peas-then-ice-cream-with-warm-chocolate-peanut-butter-sauce/

 

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