Chickpea Crust “Pizza”

I’ve wanted to use chickpea flour ever since I had the amazing chickpea flour and sweet potato waffles at Café Clover in NYC.  I thought pizza crust would be a great way to try it out.  I couldn’t find plain chickpea flour so I ended up buying Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo and Fava Flour, and it was a great choice!  The flour takes on the flavor of other ingredients so you can use it for sweet recipes as well.

Instead of doing a traditional pizza with sauce and cheese, I wanted to do something a little lighter and also use the arugula and  spicy cilantro and sriracha hummus I had on hand.  Between the hummus and the flour, this was clearly a chickpea themed dish!  I topped the hummus and arugula with some warm bacon and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  The crust was easy to make, similar to a pancake, and I will happily make it again the next time I’m craving homemade pizza!  Just one recipe note:  If you plan to make this recipe instead of using traditional pizza toppings, I would bake the crust in the oven for a few minutes prior to added the toppings to give it an extra crisp.

Ingredients
2/3 cup chickpea flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I like McCormick’s Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder)
2/3 cup water
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Spicy Cilantro and Sriracha Hummus (or your favorite flavor)
1 cup arugula
4-5 slices bacon, cooked and torn into bite sized pieces
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt.  Add the water and whisk till combined.  In a medium skillet (7 1/2 to 8 inches), heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Pour the batter into the pan and cook until the edges start to brown, about 3 minutes.  Flip the crust over and cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Transfer to a parchment lined baked sheet and let cool slightly.

Spread hummus on crust and top with the arugula and bacon.  Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.