Chickpea flour frittata: The perfect brunch dish

Nov 18, 2018

Among all the many wonderful plant-based alternatives to eggs, chickpea flour is perhaps the most amazing one. Chickpeas on its own is a high fiber legume, which helps heart health, regulate blood pressure levels, stabilize blood sugar, lower inflammation, improve immune function and even aid in weight loss.

1/2 cup of chickpea flour has about 178 calories, 3 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Chickpea flour is superior to eggs when looking at nutrients. To illustrate: 100 g of chickpea flour has 22g of protein, compared to 13 g in 100 g of cooked eggs. If you’re looking at iron, there is 27% iron in chickpea flour compared to 7% in eggs. ’nuff said.

High in protein, gluten free and super versatile, you can use chickpea flour to make chickpea fries, chickpea scramble, bread, pizza dough, socca (Mediterranean flatbread), even cookies – and use it as a binder to make falafels and burgers and thickener for soups, sauces and gravies.

Chickpea flour is a staple in many countries, especially in the middle East and Asia, and it is quickly becoming many people’s favorites when making egg-like dishes such as omelets, quiche and frittatas.

This recipe is as simple as just combining the chickpea flour with water and some spices, fold in any veggies you want, then bake it in the oven and out comes a beautiful frittata that is delicious, nutrients rich and filling.

If you don’t have kala namak (black salt), you can substitute 1/2 tsp each of garlic and onion powder.

Whether you choose to make it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even an afternoon snack, it’s bound to be one of the most satisfying dishes you’ve made in a while, I promise!

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CHICKPEA FRITTATA

1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup (40g) thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup red or orange bell pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small shallots, peeled, halved and sliced thinly
1 small orange or red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 cup (50g) sliced mushrooms
1 cup (100g) finely chopped broccolini (or regular broccoli) and cauliflower
1 teaspoon salt
few cracks of fresh pepper

For the batter:

1 1/2 cups (135g) chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour)
1 1/2 cups (360ml) water
1/4 cup (60g) non-dairy milk or plain, unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1 heaping tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 heaping teaspoon kala namak (Indian sulphur black salt)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon organic neutral oil
1/2 cup (15g) chopped fresh parsley
1 small sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9-inch (23cm) pie pan.

To prep vegetables: Heat up oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat, add in the shallots and red bell pepper with a little kosher salt, and sauté 3-4 minutes, then add in the mushrooms with a few cracks of black pepper and sauce another 1-2 minutes. Finally, add in the broccolini and cauliflower and cook for another 2-3 minutes or so. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

To prepare batter: Combine the flour, water, non-dairy milk or yogurt, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, kala namak, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and oil in a large bowl and whisk together until smooth.

Add the vegetable mixture to the batter. Fold in the rosemary and thyme. Pour the frittata mixture into the prepared pie pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the frittata is set. The top will crack and get golden. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

You can serve it warm or room temperature, preferably with a dollop of vegan sour cream and a hunk of fresh, artisan sourdough bread and a glass of sparkling wine for a perfect brunch. The frittata will keep in refrigerator for about 3 days.