Chickpea & Lentil Patties (w/ Greek yogurt lemon/dill sauce)
Even though it's winter and this season calls for "homey" comfort food, sometimes I find that I need something a little on the lighter side for supper...plus, with a dinner like this, you don't feel guilty eating that piece of cake for dessert (I never feel guilty anyway)! These chickpea and lentil patties are full of protein and are perfect for a nice light meal, paired with some mixed greens and a yogurt lemon/dill sauce!
To make these patties, you will need: 1 can of chickpeas (540ml or 19oz), 1 can of lentils (540ml or 19oz), 1 carrot, 2 green onions, 3-4 mushrooms, salsa, all purpose flour, fresh cilantro, ground cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste, 1 fresh lime, grapeseed oil, panko crumbs, 1 egg white, and for the sauce you will need: plain Greek yogurt, 1 garlic clove, 1 fresh lemon and some fresh (or dried) dill.
First, prepare your sauce...add 2 cups of plain Greek yogurt to the bowl of your food processor then add 1 small garlic clove (minced), 1/2 tsp.of salt and 2 tbsps. of fresh dill chopped...
...the juice of half a lemon (I just wanted to add this lemon squeezing action shot)...
...and pulse to mix all ingredients together.
Scrape the sauce into a bowl, cover and store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
To make the chickpea/lentil patties, peel and shred 1 carrot, slice 2 green onions and chop 3-4 mushrooms...toss them into a saute pan with a 1/2 tbsp.of grapeseed oil and cook just until the vegetables have slightly softened...remove from heat and set aside.
Next, rinse and drain 1 can of chickpeas and 1 can of lentils...
Toss the drained chickpeas and lentils into a food processor and pulse until mashed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary...if there are still chunks of chickpeas and lentils, it's fine because that will add texture to your patties...you don't want it to turn into hummus on you!
Dump the chickpea/lentil mash into a large bowl, then add the sauteed vegetables...
...add about 2 tbsps. of salsa,
...2 tsps. of chili powder, 1-1/2 tsps. of ground cumin, a 1/4 tsp. of salt and a 1/4 tsp. of ground black pepper.
Chop a 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro and add it to the bean mixture...
...along with the juice of half a lime (I've said this before...my wrists aren't really that thick, it must be the camera angle...right?!)
...and 2 tbsps. of all purpose flour.
Mix all ingredients until fully incorporated...
...and make patties out of the mixture...set aside.
In a cast iron skillet or a frying pan, turn the stove to medium/high heat and add some oil (I use grapeseed)...you will need about an inch of oil in your pan.
While you are waiting for your oil to heat up, whisk an egg white in 1 bowl and add about 1 cup of panko crumbs to another. Dredge each patty in egg white, then dip into the crumbs, turning to coat each side.
Fry patties in small batches for about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Drain on papertowels then transfer patties to a wire cooling rack while the rest of the patties are being fried (I use the wire rack to ensure that the bottoms of the patties don't get soggy).
Serve warm patties on a bed of mixed greens with wedges of lemon and the Greek yogurt lemon/dill sauce.
These patties are soft in the middle with a nice crunchy coating....If you prefer a patty that is a bit more firm, add some bread crumbs to your mixture. You can also make these ahead of time, store them in the fridge and fry them when needed.
Chickpea & Lentil Patties (w/ Greek yogurt lemon/dill sauce)
Lemon/Dill Sauce
2 cups of plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsps. of fresh dill, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small garlic clove, minced
the juice of half of a lemon
1. pulse the yogurt, dill, salt, chopped garlic and the lemon juice in a food processor until combined.
2. Scrape sauce into a bowl, cover and store in the fridge until the patties are done.
Chickpea & Lentil Patties
1 can of chickpeas (540 ml or 19 oz.)
1 can of lentils (540 ml or 19 oz)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
2 green onions, sliced
3-4 mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsps. salsa
2 tbsps. of all purpose flour
2 tsps. of chili powder
1-1/2 tsps. of ground cumin
1/4 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of ground pepper
1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
the juice of half of a lime
approx. 1 cup of panko crumbs
1 egg white, whisked
grapeseed oil for frying
1. To make the patties: rinse and drain the chickpeas and lentils and pulse in a food processor until
mashed...set aside.
2. Saute the shredded carrot, sliced green onions and chopped mushrooms in about a 1/2 tbsp. of oil until slightly softened.
3. Add the vegetables to the chickpea/lentil mash along with the salsa, spices, cilantro, lime juice and flour, mix to combine then form into patties.
4. Dredge patties in the whisked egg white, then dip them into the panko crumbs, turning to coat each side.
5. Fry patties in small batches in about an inch of grape seed oil (over medium/high heat) in a cast iron skillet or frying pan, for about 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
6. Drain on paper towels, then transfer to a wire cooling rack while you fry the rest (this ensures that the patties don't get soggy on the bottom).
Serve on a bed of mixed greens along with the Greek yogurt lemon/dill sauce...Enjoy!
* note: the patties are great made ahead of time then fried as needed.