When I was strawberry picking at The Ridge last summer (a story for a separate Retro-Blog post, no doubt), Alexis’ Mother-in-law made us an amazing vegetarian dinner. Aletta is so thoughtful, she had a stack of Alexis’ old Vegetarian Times magazines, and had picked out Caponata Stew and Hummus Cakes to make. There was also homemade bread, apricot chutney, homemade strawberry ice cream…mmm. It basically reached the point where I had to warn Aletta and Rob that I would pretty much say yes to anything they offered me, so they better watch out.

I knew when I started this Elimination Challenge that I was going to have to bump up the old bean/legume intake. My Mom pretty much hates all beans, so we never ate any of them growing up. I actually never ate chili in my life until I made it myself last year. However, I can mow down hummus with the best of them, so I knew chickpeas were the best place to start (see: Warm Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad that kicked this whole thing off). I remembered the great meal Aletta made us at The Ridge, and a quick Google found my next chickpea recipe.

These Hummus Cakes were quick and easy, but in retrospect, maybe not substantial enough for a meal with only a salad. I’m contemplating making another batch and saving to eat as pre-gym snacks for the week. As they are a touch on the dry side, they go better with the Caponata Stew, but until I get my access to tomatoes and eggplant back, that’s a no-go. A little extra olive oil might fix that right up though :o)

Hummus Cakes

Source: Vegetarian Times Magazine

Ingredients:

2 15oz cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed and divided

4 green onions, white and green parts, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup tahini

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Process 2 1/4 cups chickpeas, green onions, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and salt in a blender or food processor until coarsely chopped and combined.
  3. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining chickpeas.
  4. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Shape chickpea mixture into patties (whatever size you like) and place on baking sheet. Mixture will be quite wet/sticky.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes.