ChOOsE yOUR OwN Ch IC k-P AT h Ch IC k-P AT h

ARTICLE by T ALIA D E s AI

ILLU

s TRATIONs by ANI N g U y EN L E

The other day, as my friends and I were all chatting and making dinner, we opened our hallway-closet turned pantry and started calling out random ingredients we had in there. “Potatoes, Everything But the Bagel seasoning (of course), chickpeas —.” At that moment, my friend exclaimed, “You know, one time I made chickpea patties and they were so good!” I added, “You know, one time I made chickpea patties and they were so good!” I added, “No way! I love making crispy chickpeas.”

That got me thinking: chickpeas are one of the most versatile foods. A seemingly quiet, small food, people probably wouldn’t perceive this item as holding so much power in recipes, but in reality, you can transform this one ingredient into countless meals. It’s a great alternative to meat if you are vegetarian and a great food on its own if you just want something yummy. ChickPLEASE play this choose your own adventure

TExTURE - TAsTE

Meal

UN-MAshED/whOLE or MAshED ChICkPEAs ?

Do you prefer swEET or savORy ?

sMOOTh or CRIsPy ?

Sweet is a swift choice! Swap out your regular all purpose flour for chickpea flour and make some cookies, brownies, cakes, and anything else you can think of. Chickpea flour brownies are so decadent, so I highly recommend. You could also try some edible chickpea cookie dough!

UN MAshED/ whOLE

So you like the texture of chickpeas? Me too! It’s the perfect bite without being too mushy or soft. Whether you want a more flavorful vibe or you are just adding in chickpeas for the texture, all of these meals are too good.

First up there’s roasted chickpea flatbread — one of my favorites — which only takes about 30 minutes in total. Toast up some pita, roast some chickpeas with paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, and whatever else you want to add, and chop up a few veggies (I love tomato and lettuce). Then just spread a thin layer of tzatziki, yogurt, or hummus on the pita and add the chickpeas and veggies and enjoy!

Next up is Chana Masala, a dish that will surely warm your soul. At home I call this Chole, but it is an Indian dish with tomatoes, onions, spices, herbs, and of course chickpeas all marinated together to form a homey curried delicacy. Third and fourth are to toss some roasted or unroasted chickpeas into your next salad and wrap. Mix and match what veggies or other items you add with the chickpeas to try different flavor profiles.

You have made it to the mashed chickpea section! I would recommend three yummy options if you don’t want the texture of whole chickpeas but do want the taste or health benefits from it.

First up is falafel. You have probably seen or ordered falafel from the Halal food trucks, but did you know it’s created with ground chickpeas? You can even try making your own by blending chickpeas, onion, parsley, garlic, and other herbs and spices together before scooping the mixture and frying or baking them. Have them in a sandwich or recreate your go-to platter from your favorite Halal food truck.

Another mashed dish you can try making is a veggie chickpea burger or fritter. Either use a masher or blend up whatever spices and herbs you like and then pan fry the chickpea burgers or fritters till they are crisp on the outside and cooked through on the inside. I usually like to eat these with a bit of tzatziki, some lettuce, tomatoes, (sometimes cucumbers), and pita bread!

Last, but certainly not least, try a blended chickpea soup! While you can definitely have soup with individual chickpeas in it, try a creamy, blended chickpea soup for a hearty, filling meal. You can even try making your own with chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, vegetable broth, onion, and spices.

sMOOTh

Chickpea is such an easy food to have in snacks.

A smooth snack is hummus! Eat with vegetables, pita, chips, and more. I love having hummus with pretzels. Within hummus there’s even more of a choose your own path you could take! You could try a lemon hummus, a spicy hummus, a garlic hummus, a chocolate hummus even… the selection is endless!

For crispy snacks, go for roasted chickpeas! Instead of adding them with ingredients to make a meal, just eat them with any variety of spices for a quick, tasty snack. There’s also snacks that come already made such as hippeas which are chickpea puffs! Just open a bag and enjoy.