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Sesame Hummus Bites with Mango-Tahini Sauce

I ate a lot of hummus during my time away. I packed lunch every day to take to work, and while sometimes I was prepared enough to make grain/bean/veggie salads to-go, I often resorted to the lazy option and ate hummus/salad sandwiches for several days straight.

I’m sure I’ve already mentioned how much I dislike eating the same thing over and over again, but even worse was that I had no food processor in Geneva so had to rely on supermarket hummus most of the time. I don’t know how it’s possible to make hummus bad but this really was terrible! Fortunately, the good farmers’ market seedy spelt bread almost made up for it.

That said, it’s nice to return home to my kitchen ingredients and equipment (I especially missed my food processor, blender and decent knives!) and the first thing I made was hummus. Well, sort of.

I’m sure I’m not alone in eating hummus with a spoon sometimes…please tell me I’m not! But it’s not exactly something you can do at a table/in public. So these bites were devised as a more acceptable way of getting hummus to mouth efficiently, without crackers, bread or anything else getting in the way.

A simple, light version of our beloved chickpea dip, with green onions, herbs and carrot folded in for extra flavour and texture, shaped into bite-size balls and rolled in toasted sesame seeds. Perfect for popping into your mouth. No spoon necessary!

They’d be a fun alternative to your classic hummus & crudités platter appetizer. Kick them up a notch and serve them alongside my Mango-Tahini Sauce for dipping.
Tahini on tahini? Yes please!

My favourite way to serve them is over a giant rainbow salad. Great for clearing out all the odds and ends in your fridge and getting lots of colour and variety into your diet. I just fill a bowl with whatever veggies I have on hand, top with several of the Sesame Hummus Bites and drizzle generously with Mango-Tahini Sauce. Much more fun than a dollop of hummus.

Sesame Hummus Bites with Mango-Tahini Sauce

2014-05-05 08:47:41

Yields 20

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Prep Time

20 min

Prep Time

20 min

Sesame Hummus Bites

1-1/2 C Cooked chickpeas (1 can)
2 Tbsp Tahini
3 Tbsp Lemon juice
3 Tbsp Water
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
Pepper
1 Medium carrot, grated
2 Green onions, finely chopped
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
1/2 C Sesame seeds (white, black or a mixture)

Mango-Tahini Sauce

1 Mango, cubed (approx 2 C)
1/4 C Lime juice
1/4 C Tahini
2 Green onions, chopped (white part only)
1/2 tsp Salt
A few pinches of cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

For the hummus bites, in a food processor blend the chickpeas, tahini, lemon, water, paprika, salt and pepper until you have a smooth, thick hummus-like consistency. Transfer to a large bowl, add the carrot, green onion and coriander and mix well to incorporate.
Roll mixture into small balls, using slightly moistened hands. The mixture shouldn't be particularly sticky.
Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for approx 5 minutes, or until fragrant.
Pour the sesame seeds into a wide dish and gently roll the hummus bites in them to coat.

Mango-Tahini Sauce

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.

Notes

You will have extra sesame seeds but I find it's easier to coat the bites if you're rolling them in a larger amount.

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All about Chickpea Flour

Chickpea flour, also know as garbanzo flour, gram flour or besan is simply a flour made from ground dried chickpeas. It’s one of my favourite store cupboard essentials and something I use very regularly. Whenever I post a picture on Instagram and mention chickpea flour I find I get a lot of questions about how to use it so hopefully this “All About Chickpea Flour” post will be helpful for those of you new to the ingredient and perhaps give a few more recipe ideas to those already familiar with it. My love affair with chickpea flour began a few years ago when I first tried “socca”, a traditional French flatbread recipe. Since then, I’ve discovered its versatility. It’s high protein, gluten-free and supposed to be more digestible than other legume flours (like soy flour), so suitable for pretty much everyone.

Pesto-Ricotta Tofu Omelettes with Cherry Tomatoes

It’s widely available these days, in Indian, Italian and French stores as well as health food stores and even some supermarkets. I tend to buy the Dove’s Farm brand as I can buy it locally but you can also make your own! I haven’t tried doing so yet as it is pretty cheap to just buy the flour readymade but if you’re into making things from scratch all you need is a high-powered blender, spice blender or food processor, and dried chickpeas. Process/blend on high for a few minutes then sift the fine flour to remove any unground chickpea pieces. This is definitely not an exhausted list as there are so many ways to use chickpea flour and I’m discovering more all the time.

Chickpea Flour Veggie Scramble

1. Vegan Omelettes and Scrambles I add chickpea flour to tofu omelettes to make them a little sturdier and easier to flip. You can also make vegan omelettes exclusively with chickpea flour like this one from the Fat Free Vegan. Newer to me, but even easier to make is the chickpea flour scramble which is essentially the same batter as for a chickpea flour omelette but scrambled up in a pan with any vegetables you like thrown in the mix. I’ve made a few variations on this including Mexican and Mediterranean style scrambles. Here’s a base recipe you can adjust to your tastes and what you have to hand.

Baked Beetroot Falafel

2. Veggie Burgers. It works wonderfully as a gluten-free/ grain-free binder for veggie burgers. Just add a few tablespoons to your mix of beans, grains, veggies, etc.

Kidney Bean, Sweet Potato & Quinoa Patties

Sweet Potato, Red Lentil & Sesame Patties

3. Quiche. I’ve made a few variations of this vegan and soy-frree Chickpea-Veggie Quiche before and recently tried this Chickpea-Cauliflower Crustless Quiche (pictured below) which turned out great.

Chickpea-Cauliflower Crustless Quiche

4. Pakora and Bhaji. Chickpea flour is used a lot in Indian cooking, often as a batter for pakora and bhaji. I’m a little wary of deep-frying so these Baked Lemon Cilantro Pakoras from Tess Challis’s “Radiant Health, Inner Wealth” via the taste space, were perfect for me.

5. Indian desserts. Chickpea flour isn’t just for savoury dishes. Try these vegan Besan Ladoo (sweet chickpea flour balls with cashews and raisins) from Vegan Richa.

5. Crackers. One of the easiest options for using chickpea flour as you don’t have to worry about raising agents or how “rustic” they look. When cooked, chickpea flour is pretty mild in taste so you can play around with different cracker flavours and add-ins.

Chunky Black Bean Dip and veggies on Simple Chickpea Flour Flatbreads

6. Socca/Savoury Pancakes. I mentioned that I discovered chickpea flour when making socca. This Italian flatbread is one of those tasty recipes which goes well with so many things. You can adjust the amount of water to make it thinner or thicker to your liking. Eat it all on its own, with various dips, use it for scooping up curries and wrapping around fillings or even for a gluten-free pizza base. This is the basic “recipe” I use. It can be made as a large pancake or several small ones.

Simple Chickpea Flour Flatbreads/Pancakes

2014-03-29 11:31:40

Serves 2

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Ingredients

1/2 C Chickpea Flour
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Pinch of chili flakes
Pepper
1/2 C Water
(Fresh herbs, other spices, etc.)

Instructions

Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Whisk in the water until you have a smooth batter.
Pour desired amount of batter onto a lightly oiled pan over medium heat and cook until dry around the edges. Flip and cook through.
Cook time will vary depending on the size of your flatbreads/pancakes

Notes

Warning: RAW chickpea flour tastes awful so I don't advise taste-tasting your batter!

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Simple Chickpea Flour Pancake topped with Roasted Peppers, Red Onions & Dukkah

7. Gluten-free Baking. Chickpea flour is often one of the flours in commercial all-purpose gluten-free flour mixes and you can combine it with your own favourite flours to make your own mix too. A good blog to check out for chickpea flour breads is The Edible Perspective. A couple of Ashley’s chickpea flour recipes I’ve made and enjoyed are the hearty Cinnamon-Coconut Raisin Bake and Socca Bake. These Chocolate Cupcakes also look incredible and are made entirely from chickpea flour!

8. Pancakes. You can make sweet pancakes with chickpea flour as well as savoury ones. I just use the same recipe as above, omitting the spices, using non-dairy milk instead of water and normally adding a little vanilla, cinnamon and sweetener. You can also simply combine chickpea flour with another flour for a higher-protein pancake, such as in this recipe from Choosing Raw.

9. Soup. This Leek and Chickpea soup uses chickpea flour to thicken it as well as whole cooked chickpeas.

10. Hummus! When you have no chickpeas cooked nor even a lonely can hanging out in your cupboards you can still get your hummus fix with a hummus made from chickpea flour instead of whole chickpeas.

Have you tried any of these ideas? How do you like to use Chickpea flour? If you’re new to Coconut and Berries, Please sign up for email updates and join me elsewhere: I’m on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram (@coconutandberries), Google + and Twitter!

Chickpea, Goji & Wild Rice Salad

I haven’t used goji berries much before, mainly because I didn’t think I particularly liked them, but it turns out I wasn’t eating them right. While I’m still not in love with them on their own, they’re proving a great addition to recipes.

You’ve likely seen them listed as a “superfood” before and they have long been valued in Chinese medicine for improving kidney and liver function, building energy and strengthening vision and as a rich source of antioxidants to help protect against cancer and other diseases.

Whatever you think of their “superfood” status, they’re a pretty, tasty ingredient and at least as healthy as other berries.

nu3 is a leading supplier of nutrients and supplements to the European market with a huge range of health foods, cosmetics, vitamins and more. To celebrate their launch in the UK, they’re challenging bloggers to come up with a recipe using their best seller: the natural nu3 Goji berries.

Since I’ve already shared a sweet recipe using gojis- my Chocolate-Orange Goji Cookies, I thought I’d try something savoury this time.

This Chickpea, Goji & Wild Rice Salad has got everything you could want- full of nutrition , texture and flavour.

The gojis provide little bursts of sweetness and are a lovely textural contrast to the grains and beans. I added lots of herbs and a light dressing to keep it fresh-tasting.

Just look at how plump and juicy those gojis are! A short soak in warm water works wonders for them.

Chickpea, Goji & Wild Rice Salad

2014-02-26 14:48:55

Serves 3

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Ingredients

3/4 C Wild rice
1/2 C Goji berries
1 C Cooked chickpeas
2 Green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 C Chopped mint
2T Chopped basil
1-1/2 T Olive oil
1-1/2 T Apple cider vinegar
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4C Almonds, lightly toasted and chopped

Instructions

Cook wild rice according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.
Place the goji berries in a bowl and cover with hot water while you prepare the other ingredients. Drain.
In a large bowl, stir together the cooled rice, chickpeas, goji berries, green onions, herbs, oil, vinegar and lemon zest. Check for seasoning.
Serve, topped with the almonds.

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I’m sharing this recipe at the weekly link-up, Wellness Weekends.

What do you think of goji berries?

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Chunky Chickpea Dip with Roasted Lemon & Tomatoes

I didn’t think it could ever happen, but it did. I got sick of hummus.

I am still in full agreement with fellow blogger and cookbook author, Dreena Burton, that “hummus is a food group”. It just turns out that you can have too much of a good thing .

When this whole candida saga began I was a little clueless about how to replace my typically fruit-heavy breakfasts with savoury and preferably grain-free options. I found my saviour in hummus and ate it in abundance with veggie sticks and raw crackers every morning without fail. I’d then go on and eat the same for lunch.

It did briefly cross my mind that I might turn into a chickpea, or at least turn orange from all the carrots I was eating for dipping (!) but I burnt out on it before I noticed any change in my skin colour…

I found alternative meal options and hummus got the boot.

However, after several weeks apart, I eventually began to miss my old friend. This chunky chickpea dip is my way of easing back into hummus world.

Warm chickpeas are gently crushed with olive oil and tossed with baby tomatoes and whole lemon slices, roasted to mellow their sharpness and bring out their sweet flavour. A sprinkle of fresh parsley and toasted cumin seeds seal the Middle-Eastern deal.

Hummus-esque but not hummus.

I loved this piled onto raw crackers- these from Pura Vida are especially tasty. But this would be delicious on toasted bread as well or scooped up with crunchy lettuce leaves. Recipe Card

Chunky Chickpea Dip with Roasted Lemon & Tomatoes

2014-02-03 11:54:53

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1 1/2C Well-cooked chickpeas, freshly cooked (see note for canned chickpeas)
1C Baby plum or cherry tomatoes, halved
1t Olive oil
1/4t Fine salt
1/2 Lemon, sliced into half moons
1T Lemon juice
2T Olive oil
Handful of fresh parley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4t Cumin seeds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
Mix the tomatoes with the teaspoon of olive oil and the salt. Place on a lined baking tray, cut-side up. Roast for 10 minutes, add the lemon slices and cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan for 1 minute, until fragrant, then lightly crush in a pestle and mortar or the flat of a knife.
While the chickpeas are still warm, add to a bowl along with the olive oil and lemon juice and gently mash with a potato masher. You want to keep plenty of texture.
Stir through the roasted lemon slices and tomatoes, fresh parsley and cumin seeds. Season to taste.
Serve at room temperature or cold with crackers or crusty bread.

Notes

- If using canned chickpeas or chickpeas that have already been cooled, simmer in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes or so until soft. Drain and then proceed to gently mash.

Adapted from Waitrose magazine

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I’m submitting this recipe to the weekly link-ups, Wellness Weekends and Healthy Vegan Fridays

Have you got sick of any of your favourite foods from over-doing them?

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Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados

Gosh, two weeks into January already! How time flies. How is everyone doing on their goals for the New Year? Hopefully if you have made resolutions then they’re healthy and realistic .

I like to think I eat pretty well most of the time but finding what makes me feel best is definitely a journey. If you’ve been reading you’ll know that I’ve been eschewing sugar and sweeteners of any kind for some time now. I don’t think this will be a permanent change (at least I hope not!) but it has given me the opportunity to assess how much I was eating and realize that, even if the sugar was of the “healthy” kind and a lot of it from fruit, that amount wasn’t working for my body. Some people thrive on lots of fruit but I’ve been feeling better eating more savoury foods and a greater amount of fat and protein.

This was a light lunch I put together and exactly the kind of food I’m enjoying at the moment. I’ve been eating probably an avocado a day for the past week! I don’t know how I didn’t use to like them, they’re just so darn delicious. I’m sure you know they’re overflowing with nutrients too.

Along with chickpeas for a concentrated source of protein and several other flavour-boosting ingredients, this salad is tasty, nourishing and sustaining.

I thought the little “boats” looked cute stuffed with the salad but if you’re not concerned with presentation then you could just add a big scoop on top of your salad or eat it as a dip with your favourite crackers or corn chips.

Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados

Yield: 2 Servings

Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados

Ingredients

1 C Cooked chickpeas (well-cooked) (RAW option: Use sprouted chickpeas)
1 Small clove of garlic, minced (optional)
1/2 C Grated carrot
1 Green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Lime juice
1 tsp Tamari
Dash of cayenne pepper
Black pepper
1 Large OR 2 small avocados
1/4 C Fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Instructions

Roughly mash the chickpeas in a bowl using a strong fork. I like to leave about half whole.
Stir in garlic through to pepper.
Slice the avocado(s) in half, remove the pit and scoop out the flesh from each half with a spoon.
Dice the avocado flesh into small cubes. Mash half of the avocado into the chickpea mixture then gently fold in the rest along with the fresh coriander.
Spoon the mixture into the empty avocado skins and serve immediately.
Serves 2

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2014/01/13/chickpea-salad-stuffed-avocados/

I’m sharing this recipe at the “Clean Start” potluck party over at Pure Ella and the weekly link-up, Wellness Weekends.

What fruit or vegetable are you loving right now?

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