Delicious Chickpea Recipes

Chickpeas/Garbanzos are super healthy and versatile

In this blog you can find recipes for:

• Roasted chickpeas
• Hummus (incl. chocolate hummus)
• Creamy chickpea soup
• Other ideas on using chickpeas

Chickpeas can be found dried and canned. I use both. When I buy canned chickpeas I make sure they are organic and only contain the chickpeas, water and sea salt. I usually prefer to cook the dried variety, but I like to soak them overnight, so some planning goes into that. Chickpeas are the only dried legumes I soak overnight because they take a long time to soften (as compared to other legumes like black and red beans). It is important to discard the soaking liquid because the long soaking time starts the fermenting process and you might see tiny bubbles on the surface. That’s ok. 

Yield of dried vs. canned chickpeas:

1 can (15.5 oz) yields about 1 ½ cups chickpeas.

1 cup of dried chickpeas yields about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas

Preparing dried chickpeas:

1. The night before, rinse the dry chickpeas and put them in a bowl. Cover with water, making sure the water level is about 2 inches above the chickpeas. They do absorb a lot of water and swell quite a bit.
2. The next day drain the water and rinse briefly. Then put them in a pot of water and add a tablespoon of salt. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours or until they are soft, making sure they are always covered with water.
3. Reserve some of the cooking water if you make hummus to thin it if necessary.

The Health Benefits of Chickpeas:

1. High in nutrients
2. Full of plant-based protein
3. Good for digestive health
4. Contribute to fullness and therefore control appetite
5. Contain many nutrients, vitamins and minerals for heart protection
6. Can help lower cholesterol
7. Help control blood sugar – have low glycemic index
8. Can help protect against certain cancers
9. Can help protect against diabetes
10. High calcium content can help support bone health

Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpeas can be roasted in an air fryer or in the oven. They make a great snack and I usually take a bag full when I go on a roadtrip or even on a flight. They are better than store-bought bags of roasted chickpeas, which often have canola or sunflower oil in their ingredient list, which are highly inflammatory and I personally avoid at all costs (to learn about healthy and unhealthy oils, please see my blog on fats https://foodiewithpurpose.com/using-healthy-fats-for-delicious-recipes/ ).

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of chickpeas
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Za’atar seasoning
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add to either an air fryer basket or evenly distribute on a baking pan for the oven. Air fry or bake in the oven until golden and crispy.

Air fryer: air fry at 390℉ for about 15 minutes

Oven: bake at 425℉ for about 20 minutes

What is Za’atar?

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix containing dried herbs like oregano, basil, thyme and toasted sesame seeds. I have found it at the local supermarket, but now buy larger containers online because I use so much of it. I make a lot of roasted chickpeas and also occasionally use it on roasted cauliflower and to season fish. Depending on the brand you buy it can contain salt or not, but usually has a nutty, toasty, sometimes even lemony flavor.

Different types of paprika powder

There are three different varieties of paprika powder: regular, hot/spicy and smoked. Each one has an entirely different taste and its use depends on the dish you prepare. The flavor can range from sweet/mild to bitter. I once bought hot paprika by mistake and do not use it a lot (it is really hot). I like regular paprika in the typical German-style stews and meat dishes and have used hot paprika to give my Goulash some heat, but smoked paprika has a distinct smokey flavor which I like on roasted vegetables and sometimes meats and fish.

Hummus

Hummus is a tasty and healthy addition to many meals or simply a super snack with healthy crackers. One of my family’s favorite dishes is a crispy filet of fish on hummus with roasted cauliflower with chickpeas and a tahini sauce. When I first made this combination we found it very tasty but rather dull looking. I personally think that food should not only be delicious and healthy but also appealing to the eye. The next time I prepared the same combination I roasted an organic red bell pepper (in the air fryer) which I mixed with the hummus and I added a good handful of spinach to the tahini sauce. The result was a colorful, appealing dish with great taste and super good for our health. And then, of course, there is chocolate hummus……..

Basic hummus ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups chickpeas with ½ cup cooking or the can liquid (add slowly)
• Juice of one lime
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients and a ¼ cup of the cooking or can liquid to a blender and blend well until creamy, adding more of the liquid if the hummus is too stiff until the desired consistency is reached.

Variations:

• Add a cup of organic baby spinach for green hummus
• Add a roasted bell pepper for orange hummus 
• Add ⅓ cup of canned beets for pink hummus

When you add watery ingredients like roasted bell pepper or beets, add those first before adding the soaking or cooking liquid or your hummus might get too thin. Instead of roasting the red bell pepper you can also add roasted pepper from a glass, but as always, read the ingredient list and preferably use organic bell peppers.

Chocolate Hummus

If you like a sweet breakfast you should try this recipe. Serve with berries on a  slice of toasted sourdough bread for a tasty, healthy start of the day. You can also use this chocolate hummus as a dip for apples or other fruit. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chickpeas with ½ cup cooking or the can liquid (add slowly)
• Juice of one lime
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
• Stevia or monk fruit sweetener to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend well until creamy, adding the soaking/cooking liquid slowly if the hummus is too stiff until the desired consistency is reached..

Creamy Chickpea Soup

This soup is creamy and delicious, made with chicken bone broth which fights inflammation. To make this soup vegan, the bone broth can be substituted with vegetable broth.

Ingredients (you will need a total of 3 cups of cooked chickpeas) for about 4 servings

It will take about 15 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook

For the roasted chickpeas:

• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp Za’atar seasoning
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare according to recipe above

For the chickpea paste:

• 1 ½ cups of chickpeas
• ½ cup of chickpea liquid (from can or cooking liquid)

For the soup:

• 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried crushed rosemary
• 1 Tbsp Za’atar seasoning
• ¼ tsp chilli or red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 cups organic chicken bone broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the chickpeas and prepare the chickpea paste by blending the chickpeas and chickpea liquid in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.

Prepare the soup:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions and carrots and saute until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and as soon as you can smell the garlic aroma add the bone broth. Add the chickpea paste, the spices and the remaining ½ cup chickpeas and cook for about 20 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, sprinkle each portion with roasted chickpeas.

Other Uses of Chickpeas

1. Use chickpeas instead of chicken or tuna in your favorite tuna or chicken salad recipe or simply slightly mash and add to your chicken or tuna salad
2. Add to any fresh salad for added protein
3. Use instead of meat in a taco: Roast the chickpeas like in the recipe above but use organic taco seasoning instead of Za’atar and smoked paprika. Mash some avocado and mix with lime juice and salt and pepper and use as a base in the taco to “glue” the chickpeas. You can also slightly mash the chickpeas before adding them so they will hold together better.
4. Cuban-style chickpea stew – you can find the recipe here: https://foodiewithpurpose.com/cuban-style-beans/ 
5. Use chickpea orzo pasta instead of rice. 
6. Use chickpea pasta instead of pasta made out of refined flour. It is much better for your health and the taste is very similar to flour pasta. Try it out!

For more healthy recipes, visit my blog on www.foodiewithpurpose.com