Chickpea Recipes

Chickpeas with Lemon Pecan Sauce

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
2/3 cup pecans
1 Tbs. chickpea miso
Juice of 2 small organic lemons
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, chopped into small pieces
Coffee grinder or food processor

Directions

Chop the roasted red peppers into small pieces and set aside. You can roast the red pepper yourself or buy a jar of roasted red peppers.

Heat a stainless steel or cast iron frying pan over medium heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Do not add any oil.

Add the pecans to the frying pan and stir occasionally until they begin to give off a nutty smell and/or they start to turn slightly brown, about 5 minutes. This enhances their flavor, but if you are unfamiliar with the process of dry-roasting nuts, it is better to remove them too early than too late. If they get too brown, their flavor will turn bitter.

When the pecans are done, remove them from the heat and set aside.

In a medium size glass bowl, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice (be sure to remove any seeds) and the miso. Stir until well mixed.

Grind the pecans in a coffee grinder or food processor and add to the lemon-miso mixture. Stir well. The sauce should be thick, but if it is more like a paste, add a tiny bit of water to make it a thick sauce.

Add the chopped red peppers and stir.

Add 3/4 of the sauce to the chickpeas and stir well. Depending on how light a sauce you like, this may be enough. If you want the beans thick with sauce, add more sauce, up to the full amount. Any extra sauce can be used over vegetables or brown rice.

This dish is delicious hot or cold.

Notes:

Make sure to use an organic lemon -- lemons are one of the most heavily pesticided crops.

To make a low fat version of this recipe, use half the amount of pecans

Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

4 cups cooked chickpeas
3 tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
¾ cup coconut milk
1 TBS curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
sea salt, to taste

Directions

1. Dice the onion and tomatoes.

2. Peel and finely chop the garlic or press it through a garlic press.

3. Wash and grate the ginger.

4. Put a large saucepan on medium heat, and add the tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic.

5. When it starts to gently boil, turn down the heat a little and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes to several hours. The longer you cook the tomatoes the richer the flavor will be, but 30 minutes is sufficient. If the mixture starts to brown or stick to the pan, turn down the heat.

6. Add the coconut milk and stir in the spices and 1 tsp. sea salt. Stir the mixture well.

7. Add the cooked chickpeas and stir well. Adjust the salt and seasonings to taste. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10-30 minutes to let the flavors blend.

8. Serve hot. Goes well with cooked greens and radishes, both of which help the body process the relatively high fat content of the coconut milk.

Chickpea Hazelnut Roast

Ingredients

4 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 cups (about 1/2 lb.) hazelnuts (filberts)
1 TBS. untoasted sesame oil
2 TBS fresh organic lemon juice
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
2 TBS tamari soy sauce
1 tsp.marjoram
parchment paper
coffee grinder or food processor for grinding nuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Dry roast the hazelnuts. Heat a large cast iron or stainless steel frying pan over low-med. heat. Put the hazelnuts in the pan and dry roast, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. They should give off a nutty aroma and start turning slightly brown. If they are turning dark brown or smell burnt at all, remove from the heat immediately. Dry roasting nuts intensifies their flavor but they should not smell or taste burnt.

3. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

4. Grind the nuts in a food processor or coffee grinder and set aside.

5. Mash the chickpeas and set aside.

6. Put a large frying pan on the stove over low heat. Add 1 TBS sesame oil and let it heat up for a couple of minutes.

7. Add the onion and a pinch of salt to the frying pan. Sautee the onion over low heat, for about 5 minutes.

8. Add the carrot and celery and cook for about 10 more minutes.

9. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

10. Press into loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Vegan Jalapeno Garbanzo Patties

Lebanese Hummus

Chickpea Gravy

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 small onions or 1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic (optional)
1 1/2 cups water, divided
4 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 tsp oregano
¼ tsp marjoram
1 bunch fresh parsley (optional)
1-2 TBS soy sauce, or to taste

Directions

1. Finely chop the onions.

2.Mince the garlic or press through a garlic press.

3.Wash and finely chop the parsley.

4. Add the oil to a large stainless steel frying pan. Heat over medium-low for a couple of minutes.

5.Add the chopped onions and sautee for 10-15 minutes, stirring often.6. Put the cooked chickpeas, onions, garlic and spices into a blender with 1 cup of water. Blend.

7. Put the gravy back in the frying pan on medium heat. Add the soy sauce and thin with additional water if you want a thinner consistency. Heat through, stirring occasionally.