Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Tomato Chickpea Cups
 
Tired of leftover sautés and stews? Here’s a tasty way to give them a makeover – serve them up in edible cups! These crispy cups make a pretty presentation, are nutritious, and fun to make. Here, I used Indian besan flour, made from ground nutty desi chickpeas, but flour from Mediterranean chickpeas or another legume works just as well. Mixed with wheat shreds that accumulate in my whole wheat cereal box, the cups are economical, nutritious, and another eco-friendly way to reduce kitchen waste.  A dollop of tomato paste lends flavor, a warm hue, and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.
 
Tools: 3-inch mini brioche tins, 4-inch cutter or lid
 
Prep 20 minutes
Bake 10 to 15 minutes
Makes 15 to 20 three-inch cups
 
1 ¼ cups besan or chickpea flour
1 ¼ cups shredded wheat cereal crumbs
1 tablespoon freshly ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup unsweetened, unflavored soy or almond yogurt
1 small (6 to 7-inch) underripe banana
 
Preheat the oven to 425°F/400°F convection.
Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. 
Run on high for a minute or two. Eventually the dough will form and gather into a soft ball. If it fails to gather, check the dough’s consistency: If it is too wet, add a tablespoon or two of chickpea flour. If it is too dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon of soy yogurt and reprocess.
Flour a large cutting board with besan and roll out the dough thinly, under 1/8-inch in thickness. Dust with flour and flip the dough as you roll it, to reduce sticking. The thinner the dough, the more cups you can make, and vice versa.
Use a 4-inch dough cutter or lid to cut out dough circles, re-rolling the dough scraps.
Fold a dough circle loosely in quarters and lightly press it into the baking tin.  Repeat until all your tins are filled. 
Place all the brioche tins on a cookie sheet. Bake on the middle oven shelf.
Check for doneness after 10 minutes. The shells are ready when they are firm and lightly toasted on their edges.
Remove from the oven. Cool slightly before removing the cups from the tins and placing them on a cooling rack.
Refrigerate until use. To reheat, mound each cup with your filling and microwave for no longer than a minute.
The cups will be quite firm after baking, but will tenderize perfectly once they are filled and rewarmed.