Chickpea, Quinoa, and Vegetable Cakes

with Watercress Salad

2 Servings

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From the Test Kitchen

Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans, ceci beans, or channa) are a staple food used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Indian cuisines. You can find them in soups, stews and hummus, ground to make bread, and even (in the late 1700’s) roasted and brewed as a coffee substitute. In this recipe you’ll combine them with hoisin sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil and silken tofu to create crispy, golden, lightly fried vegetable cakes.

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Nutrition

PER SERVING
Calories

500 Cals (est.)

fresh

ingredients

4 oz Watercress
3 cloves Garlic
1 bunch Parsley
1 Carrot
1 Shallot
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Zucchini
¼ cup Tricolor Quinoa
4 oz Chickpeas
6 oz Silken Tofu
½ cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp Sriracha

step-by-step

instructions

Cook Along

1 Prepare the ingredients:

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of water to boiling on high. Peel and mince the garlic. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; roughly chop the leaves. Peel the carrot and cut into sticks. Medium dice the zucchini. Peel and mince the shallot and place in a bowl with the red wine vinegar.

2 Cook the quinoa & make the vinaigrette:

Once the water is boiling, add the quinoa and cook 12 to 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender. Drain thoroughly and set aside. While the quinoa is cooking, make the vinaigrette. Slowly whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the shallot-vinegar mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3 Whip the tofu:

While the quinoa continues to cook, in a medium bowl, using a whisk, whip the tofu until smooth and velvety.

4 Make the vegetable mixture:

Finely chop the chickpeas, then, using the flat side of your knife, smash until they resemble a paste and add to the bowl of whipped tofu. Add the cooked quinoa, garlic, parsley, zucchini, flour, sesame oil, hoisin and sriracha to the chickpea-tofu mixture. Stir until well-combined; season with salt and pepper.

5 Form & cook the cakes:

Using your hands, divide the vegetable mixture into 4 equal parts and form into patties. In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Cook the patties 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through, flipping with a spatula. After flipping the cakes, add another teaspoon of oil.

6 Make the salad & plate your dish:

While the cakes are cooking, cut off and discard the bottom inch of the watercress stems. In a medium bowl, combine the trimmed watercress, carrot and some of the vinaigrette (you will have extra vinaigrette) and toss to thoroughly coat the greens. To plate your dish, divide the chickpea cakes and salad between 2 plates. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the cakes. Enjoy!