Chickpea Patties Greek Style

My favorite line in My Big Fat Greek Wedding is when Toula tells the aunt that her fiancé is a vegetarian and the aunt says “You don’t eat no meat?  Oh, that’s okay.  I’ll make lamb!”  Cracks me up every single time.

These patties are my go to for protein when I make everybody else lamb (just kidding, I do NOT make lamb.). I have lamb issues, stemming from when I was three and ran out of food at a petting zoo and the lamb decided that my tennis dress made a fine substitute.  Still traumatized to this day.  I can’t recite Mary’s Little Lamb without having an anxiety attack.

Anyway, they take almost no time to make and can even be made the day ahead.  I usually pair them with either my tzatziki sauce or my cucumber avocado sauce.    And the leftovers make great sandwiches!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained but not rinsed (reserve the liquid)
• 1 cup roughly chopped red onion
• 3 Tablespoons minced parsley
• 3 Tablespoons minced mint leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 6 Tablespoons of the liquid reserved from the can of chickpeas

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse till finely chopped and combined (around 15-20 times, pausing halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Do not over process or mixture will become mushy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
2. Form 5 patties from the mixture by squeezing a handful together like you would if you were making a  hamburger and then patting them down to a patty shape.
3. Refrigerate patties at least one hour or overnight.
4. To cook, put a splash of olive oil in a pan and swirl to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the patties and cook over medium/medium low heat till brown on the bottom, the flip and cook till golden on the other side, about 5 minutes per side.  (It helps if you bring them to room temperature before cooking).  This method will yield patties that are somewhat softer inside.  If you want something a bit more crispy and firmer, put them on a lined baking sheet and bake at 400 for15- 20 minutes, then flip over and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, till they are golden brown.

The leftovers also make great sandwiches!

Enjoy!