Happy summer! To everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway. I think I might be officially done using my oven for the next couple of months. Bring on the popsicles and ice cream, fresh salsa and green salads, and quick stovetop recipes like these garlic scape chickpea pancakes! These are packed full of early summer’s finest flavors.
My first weekend of the season was a really great one. On Saturday, I woke up very early (hint: the number on my clock began with a 4) to drive up to northeastern Maryland for a killer trail half marathon. My ankles are still sore as I write this, but it was totally worth it! It was a rainy but beautiful day and I had a great race, finishing 2nd in my age group. I don’t usually win things. So that was pretty cool! I missed a few weeks of training due to badly cutting my foot, and I’m truly grateful that I was able to get out there and run at all, let alone have a competitive performance!
I also had to the opportunity for a fantastic brunch at Woodberry Kitchen, a farm-to-table restaurant in northern Baltimore that partners with the same farm where I get my CSA. Woodberry Kitchen is not the most vegan-friendly place around, but they generally have at least one great option available. The menu changes almost daily and they have THE BEST cocktails. Kind of ironic, though, that when I take a break from cooking at home to go out to eat, I end up basically eating more of the same veggies that we currently have at home.
Speaking of which, I owe you a CSA update! Yesterday I picked up our second share of the season. Usually there are 8 things, but this week we got 9. Here’s what was in it:
- Kohlrabi (with greens)
- Broccoli (with greens)
- Turnips (with greens)
- Radishes (with greens)
- Spring onions (with greens)
- Fresh oregano
- Arugula
- Curly kale
- Garlic scapes
I’m sensing a theme here… are you? I’m currently failing miserably at eating the rainbow, but at least it is fairly obvious that I am getting sufficient iron intake! Last week my partner was out of town and I finished all 7 leafy green things myself. Not totally sure I want to repeat that experience. I think half of that amount is probably more reasonable.
In conclusion, it’s now that time of year when I try to put as many vegetables as I can into one dish, without muddling up the flavors too much. These turnip green & garlic scape chickpea pancakes do a great job at that. I gave them that name for brevity, but I actually used a combination of turnip greens, broccoli greens, and radish greens, in addition to the garlic scapes, a good dose of fresh oregano, and some leftover onion chives from last week. Chickpea pancakes are versatile and these will work with any leafy green of your choosing, and a variety of different herbs, as well. I find them incredibly satisfying and they’re packed with nutrition!
Turnip Green and Garlic Scape Chickpea Pancakes
Hearty chickpea pancakes powered by fresh leafy greens. Protein-packed, vegan, gluten-free and grain-free breakfast or other meal.
Ingredients
Greens for blanching:
- 1 small bunch radish greens (from 1 small bunch of radishes) stems removed, thoroughly washed
- 1 small bunch broccoli greens (from 1 large broccoli stalk) stems removed, thoroughly washed
- 1 bunch turnip greens (from about 3 turnips) stems removed, thoroughly washed
- 1 small bunch garlic scapes chopped into 1-inch segments (or substitute 1 clove minced garlic, and don't blanch it)
Other mix-ins:
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 cup chopped chives
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
For the chickpea pancake batter:
- 1 and 3/4 cups chickpea flour (see notes)
- 4 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or cider vinegar, or white vinegar)
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp water
Instructions
To blanch and prep the greens and garlic scapes:
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Bring a pot of water to a boil. Submerge all of the greens and gently stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the leaves turn bright green and soften slightly. Use a slotted spoon or colander to remove them from the pot, and immediately rinse with ice cold water.
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Add the chopped garlic scapes to the boiling water and cook for 60 seconds. Remove them and immediately rinse with cold water.
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Dry the greens using a towel or a salad spinner and roughly chop them, then agitate them to separate the leaves a little bit.
To make the chickpea pancake batter:
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Sift together the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, salt and spices in a mixing bowl. Add the rice vinegar and water, and stir with a fork until completely smooth. Fold in the chopped greens, garlic scapes (or minced garlic), and fresh herbs.
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Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. {Drop a teaspoon-sized bit of the batter mixture into the pan to cook it and test for seasoning, if desired. The raw chickpea batter tastes gross, you do not want to eat it. Trust me.}
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Spray the pan lightly with oil (optional, but recommended). Use a 1/2 cup measure to scoop the batter mixture into the pan, and flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Do not crowd the pan. I was able to make 3 at a time.
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Cover the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until quite brown on the bottom (I like them to be verging on charred).
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Flip over the pancakes, pressing down on them gently with the spatula, cover again, and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until browned on the other side and firm all the way through.
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Repeat with the remaining batter until all of the pancakes have been cooked. Serve warm. I'm not ashamed to say that these are amazing with ketchup. They would also go nicely with a yogurt-based sauce or a sweet chutney.
Recipe Notes
Other leafy greens should be interchangeable here - I didn't like them with beet greens, but I think I just don't like beet greens in general. If you are using a softer green like spinach or arugula, don't worry about blanching it first. Any hearty greens should be blanched for the best texture and flavor.
If your garlic scapes are thinner than a standard-sized pencil, you can probably get away with not blanching them. Do a taste-test of the raw garlic scapes (they're delicious!) to see what the texture is like. Mine were very robust and the texture was too woody to add raw.
It will probably seem like the batter to veggie ratio is too low, but it all sorts out in the skillet! You can also make the pancakes larger, and increase the cooking time as needed.
Chickpea flour and besan aren't interchangeable and have different absorption rates. If you use besan you will need to adjust the amount of water.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Kk says
I love this base recipe for using up leafy greens!
jen says
what’s the difference between tb and tbs?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
tb=tablespoon, tsp=teaspoon.
gail bader says
would love to try out your lovely dishes please
KRAVOSAS says
Jeez, I expected you’ll put bird’s milk somewhere. Where should I find FRESH mint and oregano, for god’s sake?!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You can omit the herbs, or substitute them with whatever herbs are available where you’re located.
AAleks says
Where do you buy chickpea flour? Are there any good stores to buy ingredients? I personally like nuts dot com, but their shipping fee has been killing me lately, im looking for some cheaper alternatives. Nice pancakes btw, although I wanted to name them Turnip Green Chickpea pancakes rather than Chickpea Turnip 😉
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, I struggled to name these! Do you have an Indian grocer in your area? If so, you should be able to find chickpea flour there. It might be labeled as ‘gram flour’ or ‘besan’, and it comes in unroasted or roasted forms. I used the unroasted variety for these but I think roasted would also work. I’ve also found it at Whole Foods before. Otherwise, I usually buy it online too.
Zsu Dever says
Shannon, those look completely addictive! They look fresh and beautifully crisp. Yum!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Zsu!
Richa says
Congratulatins on the race. you were not joking about them greens :)) my mom makes quick indian spiced stir fries with the greens or adds them to the dals when she wants everyone to eat some. temper with mustard seeds, garlic, ginger and garam masala:)
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Richa! That sounds delicious. Maybe I will cook them up that way as an accompaniment for some of your other dishes =]
Richa says
or make a load of pesto!
Laura @ the gluten-free treadmill says
Congrats on an awesome race (and PR) and AG win! And, as always, this looks delicious!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you!
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
Congrats on your race! So many yummy greens in these pancakes! I have a bunch of chickpea flour I need to work with too!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you! Chickpea flour is probably one of my favorite vegan discoveries… I am excited to see what goodies you come up with!
Jo from yummyvege says
These look absolutely delicious, – I’ve not made chickpea pancakes before so I guess now is a good time to try!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you, Jo! You are in for a treat with chickpea pancakes, I promise. No matter what you put in them, they are crazy good!