Chickpea and Coconut Rusks

I designed this recipe since a friend of mine brought great tasting Chickpea rusks with on our Knysna Marathon holiday recently but they were so hard they had to soak in our coffee before we could eat them. Having a bit of chickpea flour at home I decided to test out a recipe of my own and they came out great!

I added a spoon of raw honey but I am sure they would work just as well without it if you want a sugar free version. The bought version had ginger in it which was a tasty addition but I did not have any at home but feel free to add any flavouring you prefer, lemon zest, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, spices...

Chickpea and Coconut Rusks

Makes 8

1 cup chickpea flour

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

10 pipped dates

1 ml salt

2ml bicarb

1 tbsp raw honey

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1tbsp sunflower seeds

1 ml caraway seeds

2ml cinnamon ground

2tbsp water

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for a few minutes until the dates are roughly chopped up.

Spray and cook an oven proof dish. Place the rusk mixture in the dish and pat it out until 2cm thick (it does not need to fill the base of the dish) Bake on 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, tip onto a board and gently break into chunks. Place back in the oven on 100 degrees Celsius for 1,5 hours then leave in the oven until cool. Keep in an airtight container.

Enjoy with coffee or tea.

Recipe and pictures copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Tomato, Chicken and Chickpea Casserole

It's 2012 and as mentioned in my previous post I am cooking Paleolithic meals for dinner which is basically no carbs and no dairy. So far it has been easy and I have not missed the carbs at all. It's summer time here and this is possibly making it easier to eat salads and vegetables as it's much lighter in the heat. All I do is add more vegetables / salads to our meals and think of clever ways to replace the starch, for example the other day I made bangers and mash but used gem squash instead of potato and I made Eggplant parmigiana but roasted the vegetables with no crumbs instead of crumbing and frying it. I will post these recipes in time as the festive season was a bit too crazy to take pictures with house guests and parties going on daily. Chickpeas and pulses are not supposed to be eaten on this diet as they are also seen as carbs but I really like them and think they are really good for the body so I add them in the diet along with sprouts occasionally.

Results so far are that I feel less bloated even after eating a whole plate of food, the dinner is digesting easier, I have lost a few kilos, I feel more energetic and keen to go to gym even after a busy day at work, I look forward to making dinner and thinking of something to make and it's a lot faster to cook and clean up afterwards.

I suggest giving it a try for a fresh start to the year, keep following this blog for suggestions.

Tomato, Chicken and Chickpea Casserole
Serves 4

1.2 kg Chicken pieces ( I had with the skin but would prefer without)
50ml oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped
4 young carrots, diced
1/2 punnet mushrooms, sliced
2 large baby marrows, sliced
1 tin whole peeled tomatoes
1 tin chickpeas, strained
1 bunch basil chiffonade
3 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp cornflour
lemon juice
salt and pepper
worcestershire
1 bag baby spinach, washed

Method:
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, fry for colour in a pan with a little oil.
Remove the chicken pieces to a casserole dish that has a lid.
Pour off some of the fat and fry the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, mushrooms and courgettes.
Pour in the whole peeled tomatoes and break them up in the pan, add another 3/4 of the tin filled with water.
Bring to the boil, season the sauce with lemon juice, worcestershire, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken pieces.
Add the fresh herbs and cook for 50 minutes on 190 degrees C with the lid on.
Slake the cornflour in a little water and pour over the dish as well as the rinsed and drained chickpeas.
Place back in the oven for another 20 minutes at the same temperature with the lid on.
Remove from the oven and correct the seasoning.
To serve, rinse some baby spinach and place on the place, place the chicken pieces next to the spinach and spoon the chickpea sauce over the spinach to wilt it.


Recipe and picture Copyright by Tamsyn Wells