Chickpeas Strike Again - The Morning Edition

Inspiration for my latest breakfast experiment comes from Snugglebunny at The Republic of Bunny.*  She has soy intolerance, and as such has had to come up with some creative ways to get around recipes that call for tofu.  A while back she mentioned a puttanesca scramble that utilized chickpeas in place of the old soy standard.  I looked at the picture, thought "Chickpeas for breakfast, yuck," and kept on trucking.

Then, yesterday morning caught me with a wee can of garbanzo beans and a devil-may-care attitude.  I decided, knee jerk "yuck!" reaction be damned!  I'll give chickpeas for breakfast a whirl.



I started by toasting a half-cup of the drained beans in my cast iron skillet.  This was fun; those little guys bounce around like popcorn when they start to brown.  After a while they settled down, and I sauteed a little mushroom/spinach mixture with water.  When that was wilty and almost dry, everything got mixed together, coated with a couple teaspoons of Bryanna's Scrambler Mix, and stirred with a couple tablespoons of almond milk.  I served the works on some buttered (excuse me, Earth Balanced) rye toast.

It was frankly delicious.  I even made Bean come over so that she could eat a forkful.  Bean was not so impressed, but I was enthusiastic enough for both of us.  The beans were hearty, the sauce creamy and flavorful, the veggies tender, and the toast just right for soaking up all the goodness.  Chickpeas for breakfast were a revelation.

The next day I used the rest of my mini can of beans in a breakfast burrito:

Same idea here as the beans on toast, only I used a teaspoon of Scrambler Mix and a half teaspoon of adobo seasoning on the beans.  The sauteed veggies were onions and peppers, and I stirred in tomatoes at the end.  The milk was just a splash here - enough to moisten the beans but not leave the works soggy.

And it wasn't.  It filled a (six inch) corn tortilla nicely.  And the works filled my tummy nicely, too.

I'd been a little leery of this experiment; I was expecting those high-carbohydrate beans to overwhelm my system first thing in the morning.  That didn't happen; either it was due to the fiber in the chickpeas themselves (about 6 grams in a half cup) or their moderate glycemic index rating, I know not.  All I know is that my blood sugar was well within range after  breakfast, and I was full and happy until lunch on both days.

And really, what more can a diabetic veggie ask for?  Except for maybe more chickpeas...

Nutrition info (courtesy of cans, bread bags, boxes, and my #2 pencil):
Chickpea Scramble on Toast - 260 calories, 37 g carbohydrates, 10 g fiber
Chickpeas Scramble in a Corn Tortilla - 240 calories, 32 g carbohydrates,  7 g fiber

*Snugglebunny hasn't posted for a while, but check out her blog anyway - it's a gold mine of dinner ideas and soy-free eating options.  I hope the reason she's been quiet on the web is that she found a wicked awesome new job and is busy working on world domination as we speak.  Best wishes, SB!