Food With Thought: Ratatouille Bites

A simple, classy & nourishing plant based recipe for protein-rich treats, yummy as savoury appetizers and as filling as a light main.

Ingredients (for ~ 10-12 muffins)

2 cups cooked chickpeas

1/2 cup water

1 zuccini

1 eggplant

2 carrots

1/2 lime

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp sea salt

Optional: fresh basil, parsley, or cilantro, semi-dried tomatoes, finely sliced red onions.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200°C/400°F. Cut baking paper into little squares and fill them into the holes of a regular muffin pan (or use paper baking cups).

2. Transfer the cooked chickpeas and water into a high speed blender, add 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp lime juice and blend until completely smooth. Add more salt or spices to taste.

3. Stir in 1/2 tsp lime juice and 1/2 tsp bicarb soda and pour the batter into the holes of the muffin pan, so that every hole is filled ~ 1⁄4 (not higher than a fingertip).

4. Bake at 160°/320F for 15min.

5. Slice the zuccini, eggplant and carrots with a vegetable slicer, spiralizer or mandoline (or just use a regular vegetable peeler!) and drape them on top of the half-baked chickpea batter.

Sprinkle with salt, oregano and a few drops of lime juice.

6. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, until a tester comes our clean. The veggies should stay pretty, so make sure not to over-bake the muffins. Cool for 5 minutes, option to top with fresh greens and semi-dried tomatoes.

7. Enjoy!

Notes

These protein-dense bites are a perfect meal prep inspiration, as they freeze well for an easy grab-and-go snack anytime. Of course you can get as creative as you like with your choice of veggies!Also, don’t throw out chickpea liquid, either from the cooking or the canned beans! It is called aquafaba, a liquid containing with miraculous properties. It works well as a egg replacer in recipes: 1 tablespoon of aquafaba = 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons = 1 egg white, and 3 tablespoons = 1 one whole egg.

It can also be whipped to replace the eggs in meringues or mayonnaise.

Thought

Chickpeas are great for the gut flora, a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber; AND may actually be the most environmentally friendly legume. Talk about a win-win!