Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Chickpea Sandwich Patties

For a while, when I was training, I was eating Morningstar veggie burgers for the extra protein.  It's tough to get 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight and do it without eating lots of meat.  They were tasty and lean and were excellent on a bagel with some cheese.

I was also polishing off about 6000 calories peak season each day, weightlifting five days a week, and skating inline around 100 miles a week.  I needed that protein.

But in the back of my mind I kept thinking "how tough could this be to make"?



This recipe is pretty good and quite tasty.  Add some chopped bell pepper and you'd get a taste that would be close enough to the MSF patties.  I wanted to add some sweet onions as well but I have a habit of adding onions to many of my main dishes.

On the other hand, they were so good as the recipe is written that I had a second one and called my lunch done.  On a homemade roll each they're excellent.  Add some extra sharp cheese and it's a pretty satisfying sandwich.

The prep?  Took me about 5 minutes in the food processor.  Don't have one?  Use a potato masher or a big stiff fork.  You do not want a smooth puree that looks like pudding.  The chunks of chickpea are a welcome texture.  It feels like you're eating a "real" burger.  It has a mildly spicy, more like a savory taste. 

Kevin kept calling it Falafel, so maybe that's what I'm making.  I don't know, I'm not from one of those cultures.  I did have it with a little canned spaghetti sauce on top and really did enjoy them.  After reading a few recipes, Falafel is a pretty good comparison.  Falafel is typically made with a similar recipe and deep fat fried.  The Pan Frying keeps the calories down.

Each pattie was about 150 calories, and it made four.

How tough can this be?  If you can pan fry something in a puddle of olive oil, you're good to go!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Can of ChickPeas (15.5 Ounce Can)
  • 1/4 Cup of Bread Crumbs
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Tablespoon of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil plus some for frying
  • 2 Teaspoons of Paprika
  • 2 Teaspoons of Cumin
  • Optional - Add chopped bell pepper or onions to taste

Preparation:

  • Add all ingredients except the bread crumbs to the food processor.
  • Pulse the mixture until the chickpeas are broken up, but not so much that you get a smooth mix.
  • Add Bread Crumbs and pulse the food processor until the ingredients are mixed.
  • Form four burger sized patties.
  • Pan fry in some quality Olive Oil until golden.

Serve hot, or store in refrigerator and microwave when needed.  Excellent on a sandwich, with an egg dish, or any time you want something different and savory with a mild hint of heat.

Just a hint of heat.  If you want more "hot" add some Cayenne to the dish.

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