Broccoli & Chickpea Bites

By Vanessa @forvegetables

I love having fried food around but I also want to feel like I am eating something slightly healthy. I’ve made falafel quite a few times in the past but wanted to add a little broccoli in to the mix for health and flavor reasons. I added these bites into salads, pastas and stir-fried veggie dishes. Pretty much every meal this week ended up with a couple of these mixed in. They are versatile and delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 medium broccoli crown, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Process the chickpeas, onion, broccoli and garlic in a food processor until well-blended and smooth. Add the coriander, cumin, salt and pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. Process again to mix in seasonings.

2. Place mixture in a large bowl and cover. Refrigerate for two hours.

3. Mix in the baking soda and flour with the mixture.

4. Mold chickpea/broccoli dough into Tbsp-sized balls. Flatten them out slightly and set out on paper towels.

5. Heat oil on stove over medium-high heat until small bubbles appear.

6. Carefully cook dough in the oil for roughly 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Place them back on paper towels to dry when done cooking.

Yields: 24 broccoli and chickpea bites

Adapted from: All-Recipes.com