Savoury chickpea muffins and cold, white stuff
Everything was all white this morning (my punishment for making silly puns is that I now have the Bill Withers song ‘Lovely Day’ stuck on repeat in my head: ‘Then I look at you, And the world’s all white with me, Just one look at you, And I know it’s gonna be a lovely day…’).
Snow in this area is rare, which means that when it does happen, everything grinds to a halt; Hugo being a case in point. He dipped one paw into the cold, white stuff, looked around quizzically, sighed heavily and turned back into the house. Java and Léo, on the other hand, were absolutely delighted. Snow is a precious commodity. So much so that I now have a freezer full of ready-to-throw snowballs, which is, I assume, the ammunition equivalent of microwave meals. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he didn’t try to take them to school in a cooler box.
Like Hugo, the migratory cranes in the cornfield to the back of the house looked very cheesed-off. I think they were probably lamenting their choice of winter destination: ‘That’s the last time we’re coming here – what a rip-off! We flew 5,000 kilometres for a bit of sun and this is what we end up with. We could have stayed at home if we’d wanted snow!’. Maybe Hugo will migrate south next winter in case the nasty, white stuff strikes again.
Chickpeas (or garbanzos) have a very low-GI and are a rich source of fibre, making them ideal for digestive disorders and weight loss. They are also rich in protein (in the form of amino acids), minerals (especially manganese, selenium and iron), vitamin K, folates and antioxidants (saponins).
Ingredients (makes 12)
200g spelt flour
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
400g chickpeas, pre-cooked and mashed
2 eggs, beaten
100ml olive oil
75g cheddar cheese, grated (any hard cheese will do)
1 onion, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine the flour, seasoning, spices and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl. In a second bowl, combine the chickpeas, eggs and oil, mixing well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, folding together well. Lastly incorporate the grated cheese, onion and red pepper. Transfer the mixture to muffin tins or moulds (I use silicon moulds) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. Delicious served hot or cold.
11 Comments
apuginthekitchen
It snows every other day here in NYC. We have frozen sidewalks and what used to be white piled on the sides of the street a disgusting dirty grey, the piles of snow on the sidewalk are yellow (you can guess why). Nando is like Hugo but because he is such an elderly gentleman he is given a lot of leeway. Your muffins are a delicious change of pace from sweet ones. I really love garbanzo’s and also the spices you put in the muffins. Tell Hugo to cheer up soon it will be Spring.
The Healthy Epicurean
Léo and Java would just love that much snow – I’ll send them over! The muffins are really good and quite original. I’ll give Hugo your message. Thank you! 🙂
Serena
Always looking for tasty ways to eat more chickpeas! 🙂
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you! I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. 🙂
Gerlinde
The savory little muffins look fantastic. I need to lose a few extra pounds and these muffins would make a good snack.
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you Gerlinde! They could also make a great lunch alongside a bowl of soup or salad? Hope you like them. 🙂
Lori
Beautiful pics of the snow! And I bookmarked this recipe to try!
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you Lori! I really hope that you enjoy them when you make them. 🙂
ourfrenchoasis
I made these for lunch on Wednesday and we had them with homemade tomato soup, they were absolutely delicious, children and adults adored them, we ate them hot straight from the oven, but I think they will also be wonderful cold for a summer picnic – fabulous recipe
The Healthy Epicurean
I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Great idea to serve them with soup. Thank you – it’s lovely to get feedback from people that have tried my recipes! 🙂
chefceaser
Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.