I am always experimenting with food, and my travels inspire many of my recipes in friends’ kitchens worldwide. This Kale Chickpea Sushi Roll is one fabulous outcome. We made this at my fellow chefs’ home, and we loved the form, taste, and texture of the roll. The filling was absolutely soft, tender, and smooth to the bite. A couple of weeks days later, was scheduled to conduct an event in Terceira island, one of the nine islands of the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic oceans.
They call the islands the Hidden emerald jewel of the Atlantic. At a gathering of friends by the ocean in a little village called Biscoitus, I made similar recipes for my friends to sample, and all I can say is, “Holy moly,” all rolls got gobbled away delightfully; they genuinely loved it! The fresh organic kale and vegetables made an immense difference in flavor and fragrance.
A little more about the small idyllic Biscoitus village: it’s nestled around a little bay where fishermen and whalers caught fish and hunt Sperm whales about 50 years ago. Today this place is a small village with a few inhabitants as many emigrated after the EU imposed sanctions to save the whales. Biscoitos is a beautiful place to tour and relax; you can visit lush vineyards with the barriers of molten lava rocks protecting the vines that grow on the ground level as the winds get unyielding at times by the ocean.
The 9 Azores islands are volcanic. As such, the land is incredibly fertile and lush that whatever you plant grows, and they grow big. Our friends garden all kinds of vegetables are grown and they hardly ever buy any veggies. They plant sweet peas, kale, red cabbages, carrots, zucchini, herbs of all kinds, and many other plants according to the season. As it was lunchtime, we gathered some organic fresh kale leaves, sweets, peas, salads. We used ocean water to replace salt in our cooking. The final dishes were just mmmm, delicious! The freshly picked herbs tickle and stimulate the senses with such rich fragrance the meals turned into pure palatable joy.
Learn this simple recipe below on how to make this deliciously healthy dish.
Kale Chickpea Sushi Roll
This Kale Chickpea Sushi Roll is such a beauty and such delight to the taste buds. Enjoy! Nutritional benefits: Sweet peas have a high concentration of healthy elements such as antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein that provide immense health benefits. Lutein and zeaxanthin, which are found in sweet peas, boost eye health by protecting them from cataracts and age-related loss of sight. They do this by filtering blue light that has been shown to have harmful effects in the eyes that result in cataracts. They also boost digestive health thanks to high fiber content, and they also boost your immunity by fighting off inflammation. Chickpea flour is very rich in thiamine, manganese, folate, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and fiber. It is a great replacement for gluten flour especially processed flours that have been stripped off most of their nutrients. Kale, sun-dried tomatoes, coconut milk, and coconut butter add immune-boosting benefits for better health.
Ingredients
- 4 large kale leaves
- 1 cup sweet peas
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1 cup coconut milk or yogurt
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 2 tbsp coconut butter
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- For a variation, you can use caraway or anise seeds.
Instructions
In a saucepan over medium heat, add coconut butter and sauté spices for a minute. Add sifted chickpea flour over spices and keep on mixing continuously.
The flour will form lumps, keep stirring while adding water slowly while continuously mixing the flour slowly will turn into a smooth, thick paste.
Add coconut milk and continue mixing and until you a smooth paste.
Meanwhile, in another pot, bring some water to a boil.
Slice off the thick stem of the Kale on both sides, as thin as possible so that it is flat enough to roll.
Blanch the Kale leaves in hot water. Remove from the water after a minute and place on a board or a flat surface.
Without breaking the leaves, Carefully spread a thin layer of the chickpea paste over the kale leaf, roll the leaf from the top of the leaf, and roll down to the stem at the bottom.
The thickness of the roll depends on how large the leaf is and the quantity of paste is spread over the leaf. You can make it as thick or thin as you prefer.
Wet the Knife before you slice the roll into 10 - 15 mm size thickness.
Dip the roll in dry chickpea flour and sauté over medium heat with coconut oil on both sides to make it slightly golden brown and crispy. (this is optional)
Serve it with tamarind sauce, pesto, or lemon juice, or a side dish with vegetables and rice.
Nutrition
-
311 Calories
-
27g Carbohydrates
-
20.6g Fat
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8.3g Fiber
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8.7g Protein
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16.5g Saturated fat
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436mg Sodium
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7.1g Sugar
Notes
The salad was made of Nasturtium flowers.
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