I use chickpeas a lot, yes I make a lot of homous, but I do also use a lot of chickpeas in tact in other dishes so I thought I’d share a few recent chickpea dishes..
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, chana, gram or cece, have lots of great health benefits, and provide a decent shot of protein for us vegetarians. They are so good for dips because they become so smooth when blended, whereas I find that some other beans can be quite grainy. They also take on flavours really well; their consistency means that flavours can infuse into them and this is what I really like.
I buy chickpeas, already cooked, in jars, as opposed to cans, and I think the quality is better. On occasion I soak and cook my own chickpeas from dried, but for ease, jars are my choice. I currently have 4 different makes of jarred versions, from tiny organic chickpeas, to big fat Spanish chickpeas – I can tell you from experience that these big garbanzo beans do NOT make good homous, they’re too grainy to be used in a dip, but great in salads and cooked dishes.
So here’s a few recent ideas, there’s more elsewhere on by blog too..
These chickpeas have been drained and washed and dried, and are being cooked in a pan over a medium heat in coconut oil, and then I added my rose harissa spice mix..
I ate them warm, whilst they had a bit of crunch, on a bed of tahini sauce..So good!!!
The leftovers adorned some homous the next day.
I love to marinate chickpeas in herbs and spices and dressings, as those have been below; the inclusion of an acid in the mix – lemon juice or a vinegar – helps to cut into the chickpeas, just like marinating meat or fish. And just like marinating meat or fish, the longer you can leave the chickpeas before you eat them, the more the flavours develop.
Chermoula, or a version of it, is one of my favourite ways to enchanted chickpeas..chermoula is a North African sauce, typically made of chopped coriander and parsley, garlic, ground cumin, sweet paprika, salt, olive oil and lemon juice; some people include chopped onion, some people include some cayenne or chilli of some sort.
On this occasion, the chermoula chickpeas are served with a pea dip and a romesco inspired salad.
And again below, chickpeas in a freshly made chermoula pimped with saffron, but this could just as easily be a salsa or chimichurri sauce.
These chickpeas often end up being blended into a dip with some tahini in my kitchen 🙂
I mixed these chickpeas with some leftover oven baked caramelised onions and garlic – heavenly!!
Whereas for these chickpeas below, I cooked chopped red onions over a medium heat in coconut oil, with added crushed garlic, and some rose harissa..
Lovely with a coriander, garlic and yoghurt dip, and my recent roasted red pepper sauce creation.
I often add chickpeas to my many and various versions of shashuka..
And of course, there’s my most favourite marinated chickpea dish..
I hope you like some of my chickpea dishes..I’m taking them along to Fiesta Friday and hope this week’s partygoers enjoy them 🙂
In the meantime, I’ll be marinating some more chickpeas for another concoction…x
Lovely post Elaine!! ❤️
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Thank you…of course, there’s lots of curries I could have included!
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😀
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So inspiring!
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Thank you 😊😊
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Thank you for sharing. I love chickpeas as well. Definitely in my top five favorite beans.
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Cool! I’m glad you liked my ideas 😀😀
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The chickpeas mixed with caramelised onions and garlic sounds divine! Love the idea of having this dish at the ready to add to other meals for a tasty boost in protein.
This post would make a great addition to Our Growing Edge, a monthly blog link up just for new food adventures. It’s a fun way to share your new food experiences with other foodies. This month’s theme is WORK DAY EATING which includes any recipe or food experience suitable for the work day such as lunch, snacks or easy meals.
More info including how to submit your link here: http://bunnyeatsdesign.com/our-growing-edge/
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Thank you – I’m glad you like my dish, the caramelised onions are definitely a favourite!!
And thank you for the link and suggestion, I’ll take a look now 🙂
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You are really tempting me Elaine! I love garbanzo beans and these look amazing yumm
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Thank you xxxx
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I love how you have taken the simple Kabuli Chana (as we call it) and made so many diverse dishes. 🙂
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Thank you 😊😊😊😊
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Your rose harissa mix continues to intrigue me and I havent yet tried it…..but I am determined to do it soon enough. And absolutely delicious ways with chickpeas.
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If you were closer, I’d send you some ☺️
Thank you x
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For me in semi-rural Australia it is a choice of beginning with dried chickpeas or buying unhealthy salty ones in tins. Try to avoid if I can 🙂 ! These variations are fantastic: am especially taken with your herb usage and shall do quite a lot of ‘taste-testing’ over the coming weekend! Thanks!!
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My pleasure! Enjoy experimenting 🙂
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I am a HUGE fan of chickpeas, but don’t cook them nearly often enough. I like to use them in soups and stews, too. But I really like them roasted in the oven with some spices as a crunchy, healthy snack! I’m always amazed at the delicious meals you create.
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I like them oven roasted too, but I’m not so keen on them exploding all over the inside of the oven!!!!
Thank you xx
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Oh my, that’s never happened to me when I’ve roasted them! But I usually use canned, rinse and drain them really well, then soak up excess liquid with paper towels then let them air-dry in the colander for an hour or so before roasting.
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I do that too, but they still jump around the oven! What temp do you have the oven on?
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I have it on 425 F. I have a bottom-heat gas range, I wonder if that makes a difference?
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Maybe….mine is an electric fan assisted oven..
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I adore chickpea recipes and these combinations are fabulous. I generally soak and cook my own in large batches and freeze them in small packets.
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Good plan! Do they defrost well?
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Yes, they defrost well.
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Thank you Elaine for this wonderfully illustrated post:)
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Thank you 😀😀😀
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Wow, you make chickpeas look good!
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Thank you – I’ll take that as a compliment!
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Yes please, I’ll take a bowl. You’ve presented it in so many varied ways, great job!
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Thank you 😀😀😘
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What a great post, Elaine! Your knowledge of what to do with chickpeas is encyclopedic! 😀
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Ha ha! Not sure about that, but thank you xx
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Love love love chickpeas! It is one of the things that I would never touch while growing up, but once I got over this odd taste barrier, I could not have enough – I like them prepared in any way… I still need to perfect them roasted, for some reason they get mushy instead of crispy, but still tasty.
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Funny isn’t it the things we refused to eat when you get that we now love?? As a teenager when I lived in Dubai, I wouldn’t eat tabbouleh or falafel…now I’m regularly making my own!!!
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You lived in Dubai? Wow, that is very interesting… I cannot quite imagine you NOT liking tabbouleh or falafel… those are definitely favorites for your adult self
it’s good to change, isn’t it? My next post will have a little flash back on my past – it involves meat, though
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They are indeed…you didn’t know I lived in Dubai? I’m sure I’ve bored everyone with it??!!
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Absolutely great!
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Thank you xx
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Ahh, so many ways to enjoy chickpeas. I love every dish, Elaine. All are mouth-watering. 😀 I have read somewhere that very smooth hummus comes from the tiniest chickpeas (you can find).
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Interesting! I’ll have to research 🙂 xx
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Yay! Hope my memory was right and provided the right info. 😁😘
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No worries, you know I love to experiment 😘😘😘
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Great ideas! I love chick peas. I’ve recently starting pressure cooking them from dried beans and jarring them myself. They freeze pretty well that way too.
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Excellent! Sounds good 😀😀☺️
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Looks so delicious! I want to eat that!
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Thank you 😀😀
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can’t you start a food shipping service? I’d book your meals for my lunch (along with you when you are free) ! amazing stuff
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And I’d love seeing you 😊😊😊😊
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