It finally happened. I’m a tiny bit sick of chickpeas.
For months (years?) I’ve been eating them nearly every day in the form of hummus, soups, on top of salads, and even in baked goods…I’m one of those people who like beans in desserts. I think what finally put me over the edge of my can’t-get-enough-chickpeas phase was a little experiment I did with sprouting them a few weeks ago.
After reading Brendan Brazier’s Thrive, I got really excited about all things sprouted. Sprouted lentils, sprouted rice, sprouted quinoa – so many things to sprout! I, of course, started with chickpeas and in two or three days was enjoying them by the handful. Until I suddenly wasn’t. I started out kind of liking the earthy flavor and crunchy texture, but then sometime after I made my second batch, I decided they tasted like dirt or maybe trash. I don’t know. I tried to force them down because I hate wasting food, but I just couldn’t do it. Even the dogs wouldn’t eat them!
All of this is to say that I’m currently having a fling with cannellini beans and their super creamy, almost velvety texture. Cooked, not sprouted, that is. I combined them with a big handful of fresh basil from my surprisingly thriving basil plant, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and a touch of garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. Oh, and a couple of tablespoons of hemp oil. That’s another Thrive book takeaway that I actually really like in dips and salad dressings, despite crinkling my nose a little when I first tasted it straight out of the bottle.
Chickpeas will probably take center stage again next week, but this week it’s all about the cannellini beans. And the basil. Seriously, that plant is verging on out-of-control.
- 3 C. Cooked Cannellini Beans
- ¼ C. + 2 Tbs. Water (less if you use canned beans)
- ⅓ C. Packed Fresh Basil Leaves
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 2 Tbs. Hemp Oil (or Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
- 2 Tbs. Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tsp. Sea Salt
- ½ Tsp. Garlic Powder
- ½ Tsp. Freshly Ground Pepper
- Add all of the ingredients to your food processor, except for the additional 2 Tbs. of water.
- Blend for 1-2 minutes, depending on your desired texture, and add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as necessary.
- Serve with homemade baked tortilla chips, veggie sticks, or as a spread on a sandwich. I also happen to think it’s great by the spoonful.
Baked tortilla chip recommendation: use brown rice tortillas for extra crispy, slightly chewy chips. Then, before you put them in the oven, spray them with a little coconut oil and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. It’s tortilla chip perfection.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Uummm, looks amazing! Right now I am in love with white beans as they produce such smooth and rich tasting dips. This dip looks so great.
I just couldn’t go on. So, right now it is all about the white beans until next week when they make me want to puke. 
I laughed out loud at your current hatred for chickpeas. I get the same way. I will make something and eat and eat and eat it. Then get so sick of it even looking at it makes me gag. Like last night I tried eating up some “tuna” made with chickpeas and after shovelling in the first spoonful, my mouth started to water. It tasted like dirt.
hahaha Exactly!!
I just discovered and adore your site. I found you whilst perusing the web for a good homemade kombucha recipe. I am now in the second phase of making my SCOBY. Will let you know how it turns out. Thus far it looks and smells like the real deal.
Your recipes and photography are fantastic. I may just go a little Pinterest crazy right now, so don’t mind me.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Kellie! And so exciting about the homemade kombucha! It’s really nice to not have to rely on the store bought stuff (at nearly $4 a bottle!) and something about making it at home is so satisfying.
I love cannellini beans. They are my favorite in cold salads!
This looks great! I will say, I’m a chickpea/hummus girl at heart, but my fiance recently decided that he was sick of hummus. My world has been crashing down around me, until I saw this post – I totally forgot about cannellini beans!
Cannellini beans to the rescue!
You- sick of chickpeas? I never thought I’d see the day…
I have some “sprouting” in a jar right now- but only a few of them seem to be growing tails… and I leave tomorrow for a few days, so they might just have to bite the dust.
I NEED TO READ THRIVE!
I was thinking today about making a lentil hummus.. have you ever done that? And – I’m not sure if I’ve ever had cannellini beans!
(sorry this comment was SO A.D.D….)
I’m sure I’ll be back to loving chickpeas soon enough…I give myself like 5 days.
I haven’t made lentil hummus before, but it sounds really good! You MUST try cannellini beans – they have such a great texture!
Everyone needs to take a garbanzo break every now and then. You’ll be over it by Saturday, though
I’m sure you’re right.
I hit the print button on that recipe immediately! Yummy………..Could not live without chickpeas…
I hope you like the bean dip! I couldn’t live without chickpeas either, despite needing a little break from them this week.
I just made this dip. So easy and delicious!
I haven’t had much success with homemade dips until now! I can’t stop eating it. But that’s ok, because it’s chock full of the protein I need
Thanks for the recipe – it’s a sure-fire keeper.
That’s great that the dip turned out well! Feel free to play around with the type of beans and herbs to create different flavors and variations. I also have a few hummus recipes on my blog that you might like (cool ranch hummus is a favorite).