Chickpea Flour Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

There is a new cookbook in my kitchen — I know, I'm already buried in them — but it's an interesting and inspiring one. It's all about chickpea flour which is one of my favorite ingredients. The Chickpea Flour Cookbook: Healthy Gluten-Free and Grain-Free Recipes to Power Every Meal of the Day by Camilla V. Saulsbury is certainly the first cookbook I've come across focusing on chickpea flour. Over 80 recipes are featured for any time of day. Breakfast, breads, snacks, sides, entrées and even desserts. They all happen to be gluten-free, grain-free and soy-free. And because chickpea flour is the focus, all of the recipes are high in protein which is important for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Most of the recipes are suitable for vegans too, and those that contain dairy are usually accompanied with suggestions on how to make the recipe vegan.

Who knew there could be so many recipes for chickpea flour?

The first recipe I tried was this moist and satisfying bread that is really more like a savory cake. The addition of tangy sun-dried tomatoes and earthy spinach makes each bite a taste experience that you won't soon forget. It's wonderful for breakfast, lunch, as a snack, or as an accompaniment for a main dinner dish.

As always, the opinions expressed here are my own.

Chickpea Flour Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from The Chickpea Flour Cookbook: Healthy Gluten-Free and Grain-Free Recipes to Power Every Meal of the Day Published on November 6, 2015 Soft, moist savory gluten-free and protein-rich bread made with chickpea flour, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Print this recipe Ingredients: 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes 2 tablespoons ground flax seed 6 tablespoons warm water 1 3/4 cups chickpea flour (besan) 1/3 cup nutritional yeast 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil 1 teaspoon sea salt 3/4 cup almond milk 1/4 cup olive oil 2 teaspoons coconut sugar 10 oz (300 g) frozen spinach, thawed (squeeze out as much liquid as possible) Instructions: Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and chop. Soak the ground flax seeds with the water in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to thicken up. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish with oil. Line with parchment paper, leaving enough to hang over the sides. Lightly grease the paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, baking soda, basil and sea salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flax seed and water mixture, almond milk, olive oil and sugar until well combined. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just blended. Stir in the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Leave the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Lift the bread out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Remove the paper, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into 16 pieces. Notes: I made this recipe vegan by using a flax seed mixture, but you could use two eggs instead. The almond milk can be replaced with dairy milk. A 1/2 cup of crumbled feta or goat cheese could be used instead of the nutritional yeast. Stir it in with the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Makes 1 9-inch loaf

Other recipes using chickpea flour from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen to enjoy:
Chickpea Flour (Besan) Crêpes with Spinach
Chickpea Flour Dumplings Simmered in a Spicy Yogurt Sauce
Chickpea Flour Pancakes (Pudla) with Crushed Peas, Ginger, Chilies and Cilantro
Basmati Rice Spiked with Chickpea Flour Dumplings