Complete Protein Garbanzo Pancakes

While riding in a van to choir practice with a friend, I learned about her garbanzo bean pancake experiment. I happen to have a very large supply of garbanzo beans, as I use them for the chicken substitute because of their texture, and when she mentioned that her family had no idea there was anything weird in the recipe, and totally loved them, I had to try it.

However, try as I may, I could never reach her thereafter to get the recipe, so out of desperation, I googled it and found something I thought would work. Upon putting it together in the blender, though, the batter appeared to be no thicker than milk, and I couldn't imagine how I could make a pancake out of it. We had just ground some whole wheat flour over the weekend, and the thought occured to me that if I added some, the pancakes would then contain a complete protein, plus hopefully be thickened up a bit. This worked like a charm, and the kids gobbled up the entire batch. I told the 15-year-old boy, a football player, that it was like eating steak and eggs for breakfast, but much better for you. He didn't buy it, but he did eat six pancakes and a few more with his lunch.

Thanks, Norma, for the inspiration! I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Ingredients

1 c. garbanzo beans
1½ c whole wheat flour
¼ c olive oil
1½ c. water
2 eggs
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Cook on a greased or buttered griddle until golden brown on each side.

NOTE: Pancake tops may not bubble when ready to be flipped, but the edges should start to pucker.