Arepas filled with Chickpea/Avocado Salad Arepas, where have you been all my li…
Arepas filled with Chickpea/Avocado Salad ??? Arepas, where have you been all my life?!?! A 3 ingredient savory corn bread that works perfectly in place of bread for your next sandwich. Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. A staple food from Venezuela & Colombia that’s delicious, easy to make, & gluten free. I filled my arepas with chickpea & avocado salad. They were gone in no time. Arepas flour, masapera (precooked yellow corn flour) can be found on Amazon if you can’t find it at your supermarket. I used PAN brand
What you need: The Salad:1 can chickpeas drained & rinsed (15 oz), 1/4 cup diced red onion, 1/4 cup diced celery, 1 garlic clove minced, 1/4 cup diced red pepper, 1 avocado, 1 tbl mayo, juice of 1 lime, 2 tbl chopped cilantro salt/pepper to taste For Arepas: 1 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 cup precooked cornmeal ( I used P.A.N brand), 2 tsp neutral oil, 1/8 tsp turmeric (optional)
What you do:
1️⃣To make salad: in a large mixing bowl, partially mash chickpeas with a fork/potato masher, add garlic, celery, red onion, red pepper, mix well.
2️⃣ Mash avocado in a small bowl & mix in mayo, mix till you get a smooth consistency
3️⃣ Add avo mix to chickpeas, add lime juice, mix well. Season with salt/pepper. Chill in fridge
4️⃣ To make Arepas: In a large mixing bowl, add warm water with salt, stir till salt dissolves.
5️⃣ Slowly add flour 2 tbl at a time, stir well after each addition of flour to prevent clumps, mixture will soon turn into dough, you don’t want it to be sticky/ or too dry.
6️⃣ Time to make Arepas: using roughly 1/4 cup of dough, make a ball, pass it back and forth between your hands to form a flat even patty, it should be about 3 in wide/ 1/2 in thick.Place on parchment lined baking sheet
7️⃣ Using a nonstick pan over med heat add oil, when oil has warmed add arepas, season with salt, cook 7 min until golden with some crispy spots underneath, then flip cook another 5 min
8️⃣ Transfer arepas back to baking sheet, bake at 375 F for 20 min, flipping half way
9️⃣ Let cool for 5 min, slice arepas in half. Fill with chilled salad. Top with tomatoes, more onion, avo, or whatever makes you happy. Enjoy!!
