My first socca

I have been eyeing socca recipes for about two months now but for no good reason, I have not gotten around to making one! Well, the other day Candice came over for dinner and it just felt like it was time.

A socca is an unleavened pancake made of chickpea flour. It is typically baked in a cast iron pan at 450F for 45 minutes to an hour however we did not want to wait. Therefore... skillet socca!

Savory Skillet Socca
This was way reminiscent of an omelet, in it's cooking method and it's texture. So savory and way too easy. I am foreseeing this as a staple in my dietary future. Adapted from Pure2Raw.

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil, divided
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c plus 1 T chickpea flour**
2 t dried Italian herbs (optional but delicious)
1 t salt
1 1/4 cup water

Directions:
Heat 1T oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Saute onions and garlic until soft and starting to brown, set aside.
Mix together flour, herbs and salt in a large bowl.
Slowly whisk in water until all the lumps are gone (this will be thin).
Stir the sauteed onions and garlic into the batter.
Heat remaining 1 T oil in the skillet.
Pour batter into the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Flip and cook the other side for 3-5 minutes.

**I made my own chickpea flour by grinding dried chickpeas in my food processor. It was the most horrific sound, I had to leave the room and cover my ears to suffer through it. But it worked! I am not actually sure if this is the correct method, perhaps I was supposed to cook the chickpeas and let them air-dry before processing them... Oh well! I liked the way it turned out (despite the hearing loss).

October Birthday Feast

Last night, in honor of my lovely roommate, Marcy, and in celebration of her 20th birthday, I cooked up a harvest feast. Probably not the most logical use of my time considering I have a physics exam tomorrow but hey, we all have our vices.

Say "Hello," Marcy!

The following recipe is based off of a recipe from the food blog Sprouted Kitchen. I highly recommend perusing the Sprouted Kitchen archives because not only are the recipes delicious but the pictures that highlight the ingredients and dishes will make you drool and fall in love with food all over again.

Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas

Ingredients:
2-3 large sweet potatoes
1 c chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans), soaked overnight*
3 small onions
3 T olive oil
1 t cinnamon
2 T honey
2 t nutmeg (I didn't have any so I used ground cloves...)
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used about 4 cloves but that's because I am a garlic fiend)
1 t cayenne pepper (optional)
1 t salt
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Ground pepper
Rosemary and/or thyme

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add soaked chickpeas. Reduce to a gentle boil and cook for an hour, or until chickpeas are soft. Drain.
While the chickpeas are cooking, peel and dice sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt, and lime juice.
Pour over sweet potatoes and stir. Add drained chickpeas and onions and about 2 T of dried rosemary and stir.
Dump the mixture onto a baking sheet and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender, stirring halfway through.
Remove from oven and season with salt and pepper to taste. If any lime juice is left over, squeeze over the dish.

*I used a 16 oz. can of chickpeas from my pre-challenge stash


Golden Brussels Sprouts with Roasted Almonds

Ingredients:
Brussels sprouts
olive oil
salt
pepper
almonds, chopped

Directions:
Remove unsightly leaves from Brussels sprouts and cut in half lengthwise. Toss with about 1 T olive oil.
Heat 1 T oil over medium heat and add Brussels sprouts. Cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
Roast almonds over medium-low heat until golden brown and fragrant, stirring often.
Mix Brussels sprouts and almonds.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.