Mediterranean Chickpea Patties & Greek Salad

Just because we're not summering in some exotic location doesn't mean we can't eat like we are. Get your fill of Mediterranean flavor with this healthy vegetarian meal. A mix of tastes, textures, and temperatures, this dish has got it going ON. Warm, crispy, pan-fried chickpea patties flavored with fresh basil, cumin, and garlic only take 2-3 minutes of stove time. In this heat, who wants to spend the whole night sweating over a burner? Not this girl.

Assuming you have some semblance of a pantry, I've put items in bold you'll probably need to buy. See? It's not that long a list now! Doesn't that feel better?

If you keep pantry staples like beans, basic spices, eggs, flour, olive oil, canned meats, whole grain pasta and rice, canned tomato sauce, and peanut butter on hand, you'll spend less time in the grocery store and can get meals on the table way faster.

Recipe from Health Magazine (March 2010)
Prep: 16 minutes; Cook: 4 minutes; Serves: 4

Ingredients for Chickpea Patties: 
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 egg, whisked
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients for Salad:
8 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 small red onion
1 cucumber, sliced

Ingredients for Salad Dressing:
1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Step 1

Pulse chickpeas, parsley, garlic, cumin, salt, & pepper in a food processor until roughly chopped and mixture forms a paste

Step 2

Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add whisked egg and 2 TBS flour. Form into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Put 2 TBS flour on a plate, and some on your hands, and roll the patties to coat. Tap off excess flour.

Step 3

Heat 2 TBS oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Dry on paper towels to soak up extra oil.

Step 4

For salad: mix together salad greens, cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, and sliced cucumbers.  Place two store-bought stuffed grape leaves on top (dolmas).
For dressing (makes 8-servings): Mix together 1/2 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon), and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad.

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Serving suggestions: Have a salad for dinner and jazz it up the next day with a hunk of crusty baguette smeared with tangy Greek tzatziki. Mash the stuffed grape leaves onto the bread and layer with salad and chickpea patties.
Note: Tzatziki is a Greek spread made with thick, tart, Greek yogurt, cucumbers, dill, and garlic. Look for it near the hummus spreads at your local market. Yum!