Posts In: yoga snack

from Jackie Liu 

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Chickpea Patties

I call this Chickpea Patties (it’s my understanding that to be falafel the ball of chickpeas must be fried). Inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s falafel recipe.  

1 1/4 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 onion, chopped (or 1 cup of chopped scallions)
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
a handful of parsley
a handful of cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (add more if you like spicy things)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Olive oil 

Soak the chickpeas overnight by covering them with enough water so that the water line is at least 2-3inches above the beans. 

Preheat oven to 375F. Drain and toss the beans in a food processor or blender, along with the onion, garlic, parsley, and cilantro. Blend until the beans are crumbly. Add the spices and blend again until you get a small enough crumb that can be pinched together and hold its shape (the size of coarse sea salt is a good reference).  

Generously grease a cupcake pan or mini cupcake pan with olive oil. Press the bean mixture into each mold, filling all the way to the top. Brush the tops with a generous amount of olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then turn the pan and bake until you can see the edges browning (about 10-15 minutes). Allow the patties to cool for 5 minutes and then free them from the molds using a spatula or butter knife. Enjoy the patties with something saucy like hummus or moutabal (eggplant dip). Or a quick sauce of plain yogurt, garlic cloves, lemon juice, and salt.  

**full disclosure: this recipe is time-consuming. Sometimes I don’t even go the extra mile of blending and molding these patties. My “none patty” method is to roughly chop all of the ingredients (including the beans) and throw them in a pan with lots of olive oil and saute until the onions and garlic are soft. If the beans aren’t tender enough, I pour in a little bit of veggie broth and let it simmer until I’m too hungry to wait. If you choose to go the none-patty route, then you can skip the soak and use canned beans instead. 

Jackie Liu 
Contributing Writer

Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/