Chickpea croquettes with Greek salad topping

Contributed by Preston Maring, MD


Chickpea croquettes with Greek salad topping

Whether you call vegetarian dishes like these croquettes, burgers, or patties doesn't matter.  Some people call their basement the "lower-level".  The important thing is that bean-based dinners are quick, wonderfully tasty, satisfying, and nutritious. 

Unless you are already a vegetarian or vegan, going more days each week without meat is good for you, good for your pocketbook, and good for the planet.  The average American eats 182.5 pounds of meat per year. Chickpea or garbanzo bean flour wasn't exactly a staple I had on hand but it's easy to find at a grocery store.  

Of course, cooking your own beans at home for use in this recipe is best, but low sodium canned beans help make these croquettes very easy to throw together.  

These keep well — at least overnight — so I was very happy the next day at lunch.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise, and then sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 green onions (the whole thing), chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 2 heaping teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 heaping teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas or a 15 ounce can, rinsed and drained
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

  1. Mix the first 7 ingredients together to make the topping.
  2. To make the croquettes, mix together the chickpea flour, cumin, chili powder, and salt.  
  3. Mix in 3/4 cup hot water.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  
  4. Coat a skillet with cooking spray or add a little canola oil to a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.  Heat over medium heat.  
  5. Drop four 1/4 cup dollops of the chickpea mixture into the skillet turning the heat down a little.  Cook for 4 minutes per side or until golden.  
  6. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.  

Nutrition information (per serving)

  • Serving size: 2 croquettes topped with about 1/4 cup of Greek salad
  • Calories: 334
  • Total fat: 13 g
  • Saturated fat: 3 g
  • Trans fat: 0 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg
  • Sodium: 431 mg
  • Total carbohydrate: 43 g
  • Dietary fiber: 10 g
  • Protein: 15 g