Chickpeas are such a versatile ingredient that gets underutilized by many. If you’re vegetarian/vegan, then you probably use them in most of the meals you make. They’re a brilliant source of protein, and you can get a lot of fiber and nutrients from them too. Plus, one tin of chickpeas is one of your five-a-day servings of fruits or veggies!
So with this in mind, we’ve got a few ideas for delicious things you can do with this lovable legum:
Chickpea Scramble
This is a beautiful idea for anyone that wants a quick breakfast, lunch or snack. It’s also a brilliant alternative to scrambled eggs for any vegans out there. The recipe couldn’t be any easier (see above). Essentially, you’re frying off some chickpeas with a choice of spices, then mashing them up to give a scrambled texture. Serve on top of some toasted bread or as a side with a cooked breakfast. It’s packed full of flavor and uses up generic store cupboard ingredients that everyone has handy. For me, it’s the ideal thing to have for brunch if you’re in a hurry!
Homemade Hummus
Hummus is a tasty dip that you can have with so many different things. It works exceedingly well with some pita slices as a snack during the day, but you can have it on the side of a plate with your dinner too. I found an awesome hummus recipe on Nomad’s Marketplace that takes hardly any effort at all and requires only a few ingredients. The best thing about hummus is that you have the basic recipe, then you can flavor or top it with anything you like. I’ve seen peri-peri hummus, caramelized onion hummus – it’s so diverse and delicious.
Chickpea Curry
Chickpeas are such a wonderful option for a nice vegetarian curry. There are so many different chickpea curries you can make, and the one above looks utterly delicious. Perhaps the best thing about these curries is that they take much less time than a traditional meat curry. You just have to spend a bit of time making the base of the dish, then add in the sauce ingredients and heat through the chickpeas. They give a unique texture to the dish and soak up all the lovely flavors from the sauce.
Vegan Meringues
Okay, this is technically a cheat because you’re not using the chickpeas themselves for this! Instead, you use the chickpea water that’s in the tin with them. Essentially, this works as a vegan substitute for egg whites, meaning you can whip them up to make meringues. It takes a bit longer to get them to stiff peaks, but the overall result is very similar to traditional ones. Then, you can use these to create macaroons, Eton mess, and many other desserts. A fantastic idea for anyone that wants a sweet vegan treat!
There you have it; four equally stunning things you can do with chickpeas. What we love most about this food is how versatile it is! It shows the versatility of the humble chickpea, and how it can be used to create some genuinely stunning dishes.
