Creamy Chickpea and Brown Rice Pie

My last physical examination revealed that it was
necessary for me to change my diet by avoiding white flour, white rice, white
sugar … basically anything
that’s been overly
processed.


All I could think of was not being able to enjoy my
favorites –
lavash,
chorag, paklava, and so on.
As I lamented over this
medically-induced “sentence’, I realized the only thing to do is adapt – to
find alternate recipes using whole grains, whole wheat, etc.

(Is there such a thing as whole wheat phyllo dough? If
so, please let me know!)

The recipe I’m sharing does not include one “white”
ingredient; in fact, it sounds like one my doctor would have suggested. It
boasts chickpeas, tahini, sesame seeds, and brown rice. Nothing bad here!
(Perhaps
now, someone can conjure-up a real Armenian word for “brown rice”?)

As I discover more recipes – or convert those already in
our repertoire, I’ll post them just for you!
Creamy Chickpea and Brown Rice Pie (Photo from Diana Herrington)
Creamy
Chickpea and Brown Rice Pie
Serves 4 to 6
(Recipe adapted from
Diana Herrington, http://realfoodforlife.com)

Creamy Chickpea Pie Filling Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
¼ cup chopped parsley, optional
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 -15 oz. can chickpeas, drained, and rinsed
¼ cup Tahini (sesame seed paste)           
Salt and pepper to taste

Filling Directions:
Filling Steps #1 and 2

1. Sautė onion in a little olive oil until onions begin
to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley (if using), cumin and
coriander, and cook 1 more minute.

2. Add chickpeas and Tahini. Mix together, adding a little water, if
necessary, to achieve a creamy, sauce-like consistency. Stir and simmer for 1
to 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Fine chickpea flour
Brown Rice Pie Shell Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 cup cooked short grain brown rice** (cooked according to
package directions)
2 Tbsp. fine chickpea flour                                 
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
(** I used Uncle Ben’s parboiled long-grain brown rice, and it worked well.)
Shell Directions:
Shell Step #1

1. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the bottom of a pie pan that
has been lightly coated with vegetable cooking spray.  Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, place cooked brown rice and chickpea
flour. Add water, a little at a time.
Gently mash with a fork to create a sticky dough-like mixture. (NOTE: Do not
add water all at once!)
Shell Step #3

3. Place rice mixture in pie pan. With wet fingers, press
rice mixture to create a ‘crust’.



4. Spoon in chickpea filling, spreading evenly.
5. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 450° F oven for 25 –
35 minutes.

Ready to bake

Serve with a tossed salad.















View Comments

  • Hi Robyn, you should know that there are several varieties of whole wheat lavash. In fact, the most common kind of lavash in Lebanon and the Middle-East is whole wheat lavash. And with whole-wheat lavash you can make "village baklava" (which basically substitutes sheets of lavash for the phyllo dough). I tried (briefly, since I am at work) to find a recipe for it but could not. I know there is one in Sonia Tashjyan's cookbook, but there might be more floating around on the Internet.

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