Beans a Make Her Dance

Confession: I have a deep and unapologetic obsession with chickpeas. Aside from being delicious and full of protein, chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) are also ridiculously versatile. You can puree them for hummus, throw them into a curry, or use chickpea flour to make falafel. This week, we’re going to make one of my favorite foods: garbanzo bean scramble.

Brunch can be tricky when you’re avoiding eggs and dairy, which is why I was so excited when a friend shared this recipe with me. Chickpea scramble is basically the vegan answer to an omelet – the chickpea batter just replace eggs as a vehicle for transferring various tasty ingredients from your plate to your mouth.

I made my scramble with red onion, broccoli, eggplant, and artichoke hearts (the lady friend’s favorite combo), but you can basically use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge. Bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. are all fair game. You do you, friends. 

A word on finding garbanzo bean flour: the only grocery store that consistently has it seems to be Whole Foods. Look for Bob’s Red Mill brand (usually in the baking section), which only costs $3 per bag. If anyone sees it elsewhere, let me know in the comments!

Garbanzo Bean Scramble

(courtesy of Heather, a vegan magician)

Serves 2

¾ cup garbanzo bean flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup water

your choice of veggies

olive oil to coat your pan

your preferred hot sauce, to taste (optional, of course – if you’re not a spice freak like me, add a pinch of salt instead)

In a small bowl, combine the garbanzo bean flour, baking soda, and water, then whisk the mixture with a fork until it’s smooth. The consistency should be sort of like yogurt at this point. Set that aside and chop up your vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

Let's do this.

Pour a little olive oil into a large pan and begin to sauté your veggies over medium-high heat. Start with things that take longer to cook – onions, broccoli, bell peppers, etc – and then add the ingredients that only need a minute to soften up, like tomatoes and leafy greens.

Sizzle.

Once your vegetables have reached an optimal level of sautéed-ness, pour the chickpea batter into the pan. It’ll seem a little thicker than it did 10 minutes ago – don’t freak out, that’s good! Add your hot sauce (or salt) and stir until everything is evenly distributed. Let your scramble cook, stirring occasionally so that the bottom doesn’t burn.  

Nearly ready!

When your scramble is nicely browned and has a consistency similar to scrambled eggs, you’re done! Slide that baby onto two plates and chow down. You can top your scramble mountain with avocado to dress it up, or roll it up in a tortilla for a breakfast burrito if you’re on the go.