While they’re probably the least sexy food or ingredient, legumes have to be one of the most versatile. Whether in salads, casseroles, soups or stir-frys they always add so much… ahhh yes and sometimes they can keep on giving long after your meal too!

However they have to be one of my favourite carbs, I love adding them to as many meals as I can, unless the Happy Runner is carb loading… high fibre meals and endurance running don’t really mix if you know what I mean.

Anyway here’s a recipe that I love because it’s a dessert, the key ingredient is chickpeas and my mum gave it to me.
Ingredients:

2 x 400g cans of chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Grated rind and juice from 1 orange (approx 50-100ml of juice)
Cinnamon sugar (2 tbsp caster sugar and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon mixed) for sprinkling

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
Grease or line a 450g loaf baking tin
Drain and rinse chickpeas throughly, then rub them between the palms of your hands to loosen and remove the skins
Put the de-skinned chickpeas in a food processor and blend until smooth
Combine pureed chickpeas, eggs, caster sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, orange juice and rind in a mixing bowl (this is a moist cake so the mixture will be quiet runny)
Pour the cake mixture into the loaf tin
Bake for 1 – 1 1/4 hours, or until skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean
Remove from oven and let stand in tin for 10 minutes, then remove from tin
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve with yoghurt and fresh fruit

This recipe makes around 11 serves or slices and it’s also gluten free. Here’s the nutrition data if you’re interested.

Nutrition Information (per slice):

Energy – 640kJ
Protein – 4.8g
Total Fat – 2.3g
Sat Fat – 0.6g
Carbs – 26.6g
Sugar – 20.0g
Fibre – 2.4g
Sodium – 273mg