Chickpea Cakes with Lemon, Garlic Aioli

Whether you're new to plant-based eating or an experienced vegetarian, you're going to love these chickpea cakes. It took some work to create a cake/pattie that was crispy but not deep fried. Chick peas are a pulse crop within the legume family. They are rich in fibre and folate and a good source of iron, zinc, and protein making them a great alternative to meat protein.

Because I've used egg as a binder, these are not vegan-friendly, however you can try replacing the egg with a flax "egg".

Also note, a food processor will work best but you could try a blender if you've got a good one. The trouble with blenders is that they tend to require a lot more liquid than we use in this recipe.

Prep time is ~20 minutes, and cook time is 24 minutes. Serve with a side salad or raw veggies.

Pre-heat oven to 400F

Chickpea Cakes Ingredients

1 x 540ml can chickpeas, rinsed

1 tbsp avocado or canola oil (to withstand the high heat temperature)

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 tbsp dried parsley)

1/4 cup fresh green onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, peeled

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Juice from 1 whole fresh lemon

1 whole egg

1/2 cup Panko or corn flake crumbs if you require a gluten free recipe (both work equally nice)

Lemon, Garlic Aioli Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise (or Vegenaise - both taste equally nice)

1 large cloves garlic, peeled

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional but recommended)

2 pinches of salt

Directions

1) Add all of the ingredients (EXCEPT the corn flake crumbs or Panko) to a food processor. Mix on high until the chickpeas are mashed and blended, BUT don't mix too much otherwise you'll end up with hummus:)

2) Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the corn flake crumbs or Panko, using a fork to mix well

3) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

4) Take ~1/4 cup worth of the chickpea mix and roll into a ball with your clean hands. Then flatten, pat, and shape into cakes and place onto the cookie sheet

5) Spray both sides with either avocado or canola oil cooking spray

6) Bake 12 minutes at 400F, remove from the oven and flip cakes over. Bake another 12 minutes. Let cool

7) In the meantime, to make the aioli add all of the ingredients to a mini processor or blender and mix well.

Makes 9-10 cakes

Submitted by Brooke Bulloch, RD