What Are Chickpeas? 

The humble chickpea (also known as a garbanzo bean) is a powerhouse of fiber. Did you know that one cup of chickpeas provides half your daily requirement of fiber? The World’s Healthiest Foods site even stated that those who ate chickpeas had lower total and LDL cholesterol than those who ate fiber from other plant sources.

How Do You Cook Chickpeas?

I almost never buy canned chickpeas. I buy them dry and boil a large batch of them. (Click the link to learn how to cook dried chickpeas.) Then I drain and dry them, stick them in a freeze bag, and freeze them to preserve their longevity. It saves you from extra salt and preservatives, as well as saves recycling all those cans!

Here are 4 ways that I enjoy incorporating chickpeas into my gluten-free diet.

Hummus – Cooked/ Canned Chickpeas

The most obvious chickpea dish is hummus. Hummus is high in fiber and loaded with garlic and tahini. The combination of ingredients are a great way to fight against anemia. It’s great paired with any vegetable or gluten-free cracker. It’s a great dip to bring to parties and an excellent dip to add to a healthy lunch. Follow the link to my homemade hummus recipe and indulge in this healthy snack!

Blondies- Canned Chickpeas

While black bean brownies seem to be popular, these chickpea recipe blondie cousins should be getting some press. These Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies from Ambitious Kitchen use maple syrup as a sweetener instead of refined sugar. Did I mention that these are EGG FREE?

They do call for peanut or almond butter, but I think SunButter could also be used if you have nut allergies. These are thick and rich like fudge, not really a baked texture. It’s a great way to sneak in fiber and protein into your kid’s afternoon snack!

Gluten Free Falafel – Raw Chickpeas

Unlke the other chickpea recipes listed here, these falafel use RAW chickpeas. While they are soaked, they are NOT cooked. The soaked chickpeas are then ground with other spices, and deep fried. These gluten free falael are a labor of love, but one with a seriously delicious outcome.

Socca- Chickpea Flour

Let’s bring this chickpea lineup back to the savory side. Did you know you can make an excellent flatbread with equal parts chickpea flour and water? Socca is a traditional flatbread made in the south of France. Add a bit of salt, a touch of oil and a sprinkling of rosemary, and you have a snack you won’t be able to set down.

Eat it on it’s own, dipped in marinara, or any other dip on your mind. Socca also makes a great base as a pizza crust. You can see the recipe and more uses on my previous blog post about socca.

Other Gluten Free Chickpea Based Recipes I Recommend

Vegetarian Mock Tuna Casserole from Vegetarian Mamma

Quick Creamy Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry from 40 Aprons (I eat this twice a month)

Chipotle Chickpea Burrito Bowls from A Saucy Kitchen

Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip from Chocolate Covered Katie

Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas from Fearless Dining (Great Crunchy, Nut Free Snack!) 

Gluten Free American Pancakes (using aquafaba/ chickpea water) from Becky Excell

So what’s your favorite way to use chickpeas? I’m always looking for new recipes to try! Leave me a note below!

Originally Published January 2017

The post 10 Gluten Free Ways to Eat Chickpeas appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

What is Socca?

Socca has four main ingredients. Chickpea flour, water, oil and salt. You can also throw in other seasonings like cumin, rosemary, thme, and even Parmesan cheese. (The Parmesan cheese is non-traditional and totally my idea.) When I first wrote about socca, I mentioned that you could find it inexpensively at Middle Eastern markets, often called Besan Flour.

Gluten Free Chickpea Flour

However, fast forward to now and most of those packages say “processed on the same lines as wheat.” Therefore, no more besan flour. Bob’s Red Mill used to manufacture a great gluten-free chickpea flour. However, Bob’s Red Mill replaced it with Garfava flour, which is made with a mix of garbanzos (chickpeas) and fava beans. So, I recently ordered chickpea (also called garbanzo) flour from Vitacost, as it is relatively inexpensive and certified gluten-free.

What Do You Eat with Socca?

One can eat socca in many different ways. Traditionally it is served piping hot with a drizzle of olive oil. You can walk around the streets in Nice and see it made in farmer’s markets. You can also find it in Italy, however they call it “farinata” there. It is even found in other countries under various names. Why it hasn’t migrated to the United States, I have no idea. Maybe we just need to create our own movement. French street vendors raditionally cook socca over an open fire. However, in my home, I quickly bake it under the broiler for 4-5 minutes.

While delicious on its own, socca pairs fantastically with many other things. When cooked to practically blistered, it takes on a cracker like consistency. It pairs well with sliced cheese, or a creamy dip. It added Parmesan cheese to my last batch of socca, and it was “fantastique” with a bowl of tomato soup. I’ve even read that some have left their socca on the softer side and used it as a soft shell tortilla!

Socca as a Gluten Free Pizza Crust

However, if I’m going to get really creative, socca makes an excellent crust for a pizza. Individual sized, no sharing required, delicious gluten and grain free pizza. You can top it with whatever you heart desires. Vegetarian? Top it like I did with sauteed spinach and sauteed mushrooms? Vegan? Top it with some shredded Daiya cheese. Meat lover? Go wild and put it ALL on there.

I could tell you how to make socca. However my favorite Parisian USA ex-pat but David Lebovitz has done it so beautifully that I will just direct you to his socca recipe.  (Don’t panic. I will still post the recipe below.)  David writes it so beautifully though. Do yourself a favor and read his writing. 

Print

Socca- Chickpea Flour Flatbread

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup chickpea flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil divided
• pinch cumin
• additional herbs or seasonings of your preference

Instructions

• Combine chickpea flour, water and salt. Mix well. To that add 1 1/2 tbsp of oil
• Allow batter to rest for 2 to 3 hours
• Add 1 tbsp oil to the cast iron skillet. Preheat the cast iron skillet under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. 
• Carefully remove (very) hot skillet from oven.Pour enough batter into the skillet to barely cover the bottom. Swirl the batter to coat the whole pan. (When I make this I use a small 6″ skillet and use approx. 1/3 c. of batter.) 
• Place the cast iron skillet back under the broiler and bake for 3 to 4 minutes. 
• Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Carefully remove baked socca from the pan. 
• Carefully oil the pan again and cook the remaining batter.

What’s your favorite flatbread? What foreign cuisine have you fallen in love with? Please leave a note in the comments below! This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through those links help support this blog with no extra expense to you. Thank you for your continued support!**

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