Apr 18, 2016

"chickpea flour does it all" review




Today I am reviewing the hot new cookbook, Chickpea Flour Does It All (Amazon), by Lindsey S. Love.

This book uses chickpea flour in all its recipes, although not exclusively. For instance, baked goods might require other flours as well, besides chickpea flour, which is very high in protein and is very dense if baked with solely.

The book is well made, printed on high-quality paper with great photography throughout.

The book is arranged by season and month, which is nice if you live in her neck of the woods, but comes as a bit of hindrance when searching for a recipe since it can be located in any month; however, the index is very thoughtfully arranged.

The recipes in this book are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, but not egg-free. In fact, out of the 96 recipes, 49 are vegan, which means that, unfortunately, 46 require eggs (1 requires bee pollen).

Since chickens are among the most horribly treated animals exploited for their eggs, I am quite disappointed that the author does not make an attempt to offer a replacement for their use. The lack of any options to substitute eggs comes as a blow to the positivism that the book is otherwise full of.

Because so many recipes call for eggs, I have taken the time to mark the recipes that do. The ones with an asterisk (*) need at least one egg, the ones that have no asterisk are vegan. I'll leave it up to you to decide if this book is a good fit for you.

I am also sharing a recipe below, to give you an idea of how good the vegan recipes are in this book -- and they are! But Ms. Love should definitely take the leap to being a more compassionate recipe developer, because obviously she is talented, creative and a great cook.

WINTER

January

Sauteed Pear & Sage Pancakes with Almonds*
Breakfast Sweet Potato Cakes & Baby Arugula Bowl
Onion Poppy Seed Bread*
Za'atar Crackers
Sunchoke & Leek Soup
Ginger-Shiitake Miso Broth with Chickpea Tofu
Caraway Spatzle with Kale & Balsamic Onions*
Chocolate Banana Loaf*

February

Collard Wrap with Turmeric Scramble
Hearty Morning Glory Loaf*
Chickpea Waffle Avocado Toast*
Chipotle Queso Dip
Mini Polenta Pizzas with Caramelized Fennel & Garlic Paste
Flatbread with Harissa, Kale & Gaeta Olives
Acorn Squash Tart with Caramelized Onions & Collard Greens
Chocolate Olive Oil Cakes with Chocolate Glaze*

March

Fresh Ginger & Pomegranate Muffins*
Irish Soda Bread*
Chickpea Frites with Sriracha Ketchup
Chickpea Banh Mi
Spiced Black Bean Tostadas with Kiwi Salsa
Mung Bean Pancakes with Carrots, Scallions & Ginger*
Sweet Crepes with Kumquat Marmalade*
Almond Butter Brownies*

SPRING

April

Clumpy Granola Bowl with Stewed Rhubarb & Yogurt
Mango Poppy Seed Cornmeal Muffins*
Skillet Spinach & Chive Quiche*
Easy-Spring Veggie Bowl with Warm Hummus Drizzle
Chickpea Noodles with Miso-Kale Pesto*
Spring Onion & Lemongrass Stew with Cauliflower & Yams
Grilled Harissa Cauliflower with Quinoa Toss
Lemony Panelle Sandwich with Grilled Ramps & Balsamic Vinegar

May

Asparagus Chickpea Fritters
Lemon-Rhubarb Snacking Cake*
Alfredo with Watercress & Chives
Chickpea Polenta with Sauteed Spring Vegetables
Kalamata Chickpea Wrap with Pickled Leeks & Microgreens*
Herbed Sweet Pea Pockets
Vanilla Bean Lavender Cupcakes*
Strawberry Tart with Cardamom-Coconut Cream

June

Cherry Dutch Baby*
Baby Chickpea Quiches with New Potatoes & Chard
Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Macadamia Ricotta
Chickpea-Halloumi Salad with Crispy Quinoa
Chickpea Pizza with Asparagus & Pea Shoot Tangle
Grilled Zucchini Tacos with Chickpea-Chipotle Crema
Nutty Oat Ice Cream Sandwiches*
Strawberry S'mores

SUMMER

July

Lemon-Blueberry Coffee Cake*
Everyday Socca
Fried Heirloom Tomatoes
Kofta Wraps with Sumac Tahini*
Spiced Chickpea Pancakes with Charred Corn & Radish Salsa*
Grilled Summer Vegetables with Chickpea Flour Dukkah
Cookies-and-Cream Icebox Cake
Raspberry-Nectarine Pie with Lemon Basil

August

Savory Zucchini, Shiso, & Black Quinoa Muffins*
Stone Fruit Breakfast Crisp with Yogurt & Bee Pollen* for bee pollen
Ratatouille Tartlets
Sweet Corn & Cilantro Chowder
Eggplant Schnitzel Plate*
Grilled Vegetable Kebabs with Green Goddess Sauce
Blackberry-Lime Cobbler*
Sweet Flatbread with Grilled Berries

September

Goji Berry & Cacao Nib Granola Bars
Fig & Hazelnut Clafoutis*
Baked Squash Tempura with Hemp Dip*
Creamy Harvest Tabbouleh Salad
Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Chickpea Sour Cream
Quinoa Falafel with Romesco Sauce
Chewy Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pink Himalayan Salt*
A Late-Summer Birthday Cake*

FALL

October

French Toast with Grape Compote
Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies*
Chickpea Omelet with Shiitakes & Microgreens
Chickpea Tzatziki Dip
Baked Buttermilk Onion Rings
Savory Crepes with Beet Pate*
Spaghetti Squash Fritters*
Beetballs with Rosemary White Bean Cream*

November

Chai-Spice Swirl Breakfast Bread*
Apple Crumb Bars
Buttermilk Chickpea Corn Bread*
Herbed Sweet Potato Biscuits
Root Vegetable Crumble
Moroccan-Spiced Lentil & Pumpkin Burgers*
Chili-Roasted Pumpkin with Chickpea-Miso Gravy
Squash Doughnuts with Almond-Butter Glaze*

December

Spiced Scones with Crushed Cranberries*
Cacao Waffles*
Baby Kale Caesar Salad
Celery Root Latkes*
Roasted Kabocha Squash with Black Rice & Chickpea-Sesame Dressing
Matzo Ball Soup*
Jammy Almond Thumbprint Cookies*
Parsnip-Pear Bundt Cake*   


Photo by Lindsey S. Love


Chickpea Tzatziki Dip

Tzatziki is a Greek yogurt–based sauce and dip. It’s served cold and is flavored with cooling cucumbers, garlic, and lemon juice. Chickpea flour is used here to form that creamy base that tzatziki is known for without the yogurt and does a remarkable job of duplicating it entirely. This is best made the day before you plan to serve it, but can also be made the morning of; it needs time to cool and for the flavors to meld. This dip is great to serve alongside chickpea flatbread for dipping (see Flatbread with Harissa, Kale, and Gaeta Olives, page 39), olives, and a big salad.

Makes: roughly 1 1/2 cups // serves: 4 to 6 // prep time: 12 hours // cook time: 4 hours

1 medium cucumber, grated with a box grater
1 cup (240 ml) water
¼ cup (30 g) chickpea flour
¼ cup (45 g) raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped dill

1. Place the grated cucumber in a fine-mesh sieve. Use your palm and push to squeeze out as much liquid as possible; set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and flour until smooth. Turn heat to medium and continue whisking until the mixture thickens, about 6 to 7 minutes; the mixture will resemble a roux or melted cheese. Remove from the heat.

3. Place the flour mixture, cashews, garlic, vinegar, oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a high-speed blender; blend for 1 minute, until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl; stir in the grated cucumber and dill. Let the tzatziki come to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

4. Remove from the refrigerator when ready to serve and give it a good stir.


Credit line: Recipe from Chickpea Flour Does It All: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian Recipes for Every Taste and Season © Lindsey S. Love, 2016. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold.  theexperimentpublishing.com 




Mar 18, 2016

aquafaba!



It has been a few weeks since my last post (check my last post for the winner of Vegan Under Pressure (Amazon)) and I’m excited to share what I’ve been working feverishly on.

Yes, it’s a new cookbook. But, it is more than just a cookbook. It is a cookbook about Aquafaba! While many people have already heard about it, still many more haven’t. If you know what Aquafaba is, skip the next paragraph, but if you are new to the Aquafaba world, the next paragraph is a bit of a recap.

Aquafaba is bean water. It is literally the bean water that chickpeas and other legumes are cooked in. A French opera singer, Joël Roessel, and an American software engineer, Goose Wohlt, each (independently) discovered the unique property of bean cooking water, and it is amazing! The water that the beans cook in have the unique property to be able to be whipped into foam that resembles in texture (and some other properties) of whipped egg whites. In other words, they discovered that Aquafaba, bean water, can act as a meringue! That’s what started something that is sure to become the phenomena of the century.

As soon as Aquafaba was discovered, a Facebook group was organized and now is the hub of all kinds of discoveries into all manners of different applications of Aquafaba. I encourage you to check out the group Vegan Meringue: Hits and Misses (but the group is way more than just meringue these days!)

Last March, when the news hit the webosphere, I had a first row seat and watched in wonder as meringue, fluff, cookies, and my contributions, Seitan Schnitzel and Chile Relleno, were shared for all to enjoy. Aquafaba has become a community effort and I am hoping my book will be a contribution to the wonder that is becoming a global phenomenon.

Late last year (after my book, Vegan Bowls, was published) I knew I had to think about what to work on next. I was continually amazed at the wonders that the members of Vegan Meringue Hits and Misses kept posting. I saw the hits and the misses and sometimes frustrations of members who just wanted tried and true recipes for Aquafaba… and that’s when a light bulb went off. I knew I had my next project.

When I set my mind to a project, I dig deep and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing with Aquafaba over the past half year. I swim in Aquafaba these days – actually, that’s not true – it’s chickpeas I’m swimming in; the Aquafaba gets used up as fast as I can make it in experiment after experiment.

I am very excited to be part of the Aquafaba movement and am completely honored that Goose Wohlt has agreed to write the foreword to my book!

I know that my cookbook will be just the tip of the iceberg that Aquafaba is, so my hope is that this book will be a wonderful beacon that will bring many more creative individuals to this ever evolving arena.