vegan chickpea flour biscuits

As I have written in here before, while much of my family is from the American South, I don't personally identify as "Southern," as I actually grew up between (non-panhandle) Florida and the Caribbean... but sometimes, I experience cravings for specific Southern foods so strong that they could only come from the roots. Lately, I have been craving what is perhaps the most quintessentially Southern of all baked things: savory, buttery biscuits.

I write this post in deepest gratitude for Chameleon Kitchen who, through Wheatless in Indiana, showed me that low-glycemic biscuits are indeed possible with the aid of protein-rich chickpea flour. This mellow-yellow flour has been the key to bringing VLGL versions of some of my favorite meals, such as pizza and omelets, from daydream to plate. Here, I am thrilled to share with you a completely vegan take on these savory biscuits, which also happen to be gluten-free and grain-free.

In the interest of properly managing expectations (particularly of the Southerners reading this post -- hi, y'all!), the chickpea flour renders these biscuits denser than their conventional, white-wheat counterparts, and gives the tops a slight, satisfying crunch. So, no, they're not identical, but as demonstrated by the fact that I ate six of the recipe's nine biscuits the day I made them, absolutely delicious in their own right.

One serendipitous turn in this biscuit adventure was that while this recipe does utilize a pre-made dairy-free yogurt, I skipped on storebought vegan "butter" in favor of a home-mixed, savory nooch concoction. The reason for this was simply that I did not have any vegan butter in the fridge, and rather than journey to the market for this one item, I drew on inspiration from a line in the Moon Juice Cookbook, in which cosmic culinary goddess Amanda Chantal Bacon muses on the deliciousness of coconut oil combined with nutritional yeast (a.k.a. "Nature's Cheeto Dust") on toast. It was a win, and I don't anticipate making these biscuits without this nooch concoction. Thanks, Amanda! 

A final note of gratitude... I expressed my appreciation for Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning in my last recipe, and here, I so express again: I APPRECIATE YOU, TONY! The slight spice of this salted seasoning blend confers an especially Southern flavor, but if it's not available where you live, you can order it online (it's so versatile that it's worth the purchase, trust me)(and no, Tony did not sponsor this post, though I welcome any opportunity to collaborate with the Creole Spice King).

I hope you love these biscuits as I do, from their slightly crunchy tops to the little buttery bursts of savory goodness throughout (like the buttery middle of the halved biscuit below). This recipe is fairly quick and simple, so worry not... biscuits will soon be in your belly.

RECIPE: Vegan Chickpea Flour Biscuits
(makes 9 little biscuits)

INGREDIENTS:
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning (or a comparable Creole-style salted seasoning)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened, plain vegan yogurt (I used this almond milk yogurt)

METHOD:
- Whisk the coconut oil with the nutritional yeast and salt in a small bowl, and place in the refrigerator or freezer to solidify (this takes about 20 minutes in the freezer; bit longer in the fridge). Some settling will happen; this is ok. 
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the chickpea flour, baking powder, and Tony Chachere's until completely combined. 
- Remove the coconut oil "butter" from the freezer, scoop it out of its bowl, and "cut" or grate it into the chickpea flour mixture. Thanks to my Southern family, I own a handheld pastry blender specifically for this purpose. You can also use a serving fork or, as hinted above, a cheese grater. The point is that you want the butter to form into tiny little pebbles (which will create tiny, delightful, savory bursts in your mouth when you devour these). 
- Gently fold in the vegan yogurt until combined, but do not over-mix.
- Scoop the dough in roughly 2 tablespoon blobs onto your cookie sheet, evenly spaced.
- Bake for 12 - 15 minutes (start checking them at 12) until the tops are just golden and the centers are no longer doughy, but still moist.

Serve with so much love.

☼ VLGL