All about ChickPeas!

Mashed Chickpea Pitas

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  Ingredients:
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt, divided
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice $
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup diced peeled English cucumber $
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 carrot, shredded $
• 2 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
• 4 curly leaf lettuce leaves
  Preparation:
  1. Combine garlic, 5 tablespoons yogurt, and next 4 ingredients (through chickpeas) in a bowl; mash with a potato masher or fork until almost smooth or to desired consistency. Stir in cucumber and dill.2. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon yogurt and carrot in a small bowl; stir well to coat.3. Line each pita half with 1 lettuce leaf; fill with 1/2 cup chickpea mixture and 2 tablespoons carrot mixture.

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3. Crispy Cajun Chickpea Cakes

INGREDIENTS

Makes 12

- 1 tbsp oil

- 1/4 cup diced onion

- 1/4 cup diced green pepper

- 1 celery stalk, diced

- 1 28 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp paprika

- pinch of cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp hot sauce

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tbsp flour

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- salt and pepper to taste

- oil for frying

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onion, green pepper, and celery for 5-7 mins, until softened. Remove from heat.

2. Place chickpeas in a food processor along with the onion mixture. Pulse until chickpeas are no longer whole, but dont process them too much. Place chickpeas in a bowl and add spices, hot sauce, and parsley. Mix well. Add flour and cornstarch and mix well. Place in the fridge for 30 mins.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan over med/med-hi heat (around 350 degrees). Shape chickpea mixture into 12 patties and fry in batches, about 2-3 mins per side, or until crispy and browned. Flip a few times if they are browning too quickly. If you have trouble forming the patties, add some more cornstarch to hold it all together.

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas
3 Tbls. extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, paprika, pepper, etc… (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.  Drain and rinse the chickpeas and scatter on a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Remove the paper towels and toss chickpeas with olive oil.

Roast until crisp and golden, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Toss with coarse salt and 1 1/2 tsp of desired seasoning, if desired and serve.  Store cooled chickpeas in an airtight container up to 1 week.