Chick Pea Kale Patties

Last year I found this Chick Pea and Parsley Patties recipe via Aimee at Simple Bites and it has become a standby in my house. My husband and I wolf them down and my youngest, who loves foods that are full of flavor, can't get enough of them. I made some modifications to the original recipe - initially based on ingredient availability in my own kitchen (recipe below) - and they were such a hit that we've continued to make them this way. This recipe is straightforward, simple and delicious. 

Ingredients: chick peas, kale, dill, lemon, garlic, dried shallots, ground corriander, ground cumin, olive oil, flour and egg.  

Combine all of the ingredients except eggs and oil and refrigerate for several hours to let the flavors open up to each other. Add those ingredients into a food processor along with the egg and combine until the mixture is a chunky batter. Some of the chick peas may remain whole and that's okay. 

Spoon the batter into a hot pan with olive oil, turn down the heat to medium and fry the pancakes until golden brown on both sides. Holy moly. These things are jam packed with flavor and loaded with nutrition. Home run!

Chick Pea and Kale Patties

Ingredients
One 15 ­oz can of chickpeas
1/2 cup chopped kale
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon dried shallot (or one fresh shallot, chopped) 
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Juice of 1 lemon (approximately 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
Approximately 1/4 cup olive oil for frying

Method
Rinse and drain the chick peas. Pour them into a large mixing bowl. Add kale, dill, shallot, garlic, cumin, coriander, lemon, flour and combine. Let the batter sit for at least one hour so that the flavors play nicely together. In a food processor (or in a bowl with a potato masher) mash the ingredients together until they form a batter (chunky is good, don't worry if it's not uniform). Add eggs and form into patties with your hands or a spoon. Heat half of the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat and fry until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per side). Repeat. This made 12 patties for us. Reduce the heat if they appear to be burning. Serve warm or room temperature with a dollop of sour cream or sea salt yogurt. Enjoy!

Chick Pea Salad with Dried Mango and Avocado

Hello, lunch! Refreshing, filling, sweet and savory. YUM. 

Chickpeas with Dried Mango and Avocado

Ingredients
1/2 cup of chopped dried mango
1/2 cup of chick peas
1/2 avocado
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper (we used yellow pepper here)
pinch of salt
pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of olive oil
juice of half of a Meyer lemon
1.5 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro
teaspoons of fresh chopped mint

Method
Combine all ingredients and let the flavors dance together. This is best at room temperature and even better on day two! 

Avocado * Avocado * Avocado!

Perfection.

Is it me? Or are the avocados lately beyond delicious? I have been eating one a day for several weeks and it's a groove I'm happy about. Avocados are great with every meal; spread on toast for breakfast, sliced into a sandwich for lunch and added to a salad for dinner, just to name a few. 

I made an egg salad yesterday with fresh dill and made a sandwich around it and it just didn't seem complete without avocado. Here's an example of toddler lunch meets infant lunch meets adult lunch. My toddler had egg salad. My infant had some baked sweet potato that I mashed and some avocado, also mashed. I put it all together for this awesomeness - sweet potato spread on one piece of whole grain bread with sprouts, egg salad and avocado. Check this out: 

Avocado is on the menu for dinner tonight, too. The salad below is loaded with protein, fiber, good fats and vitamin E. It's going to be the main event for our dinner tonight with a side slaw of kale with carrot, apple and a gingery dressing that I found here. The sunflower seeds add a delightful crunch and serve as a great substitution for nuts. In fact, I've used sunflower seeds in the kale slaw in place of almonds and have been using sunflower seeds in one way or another almost every day lately.  

Chickpea, Avocado and Farro Salad with Sunflower Seeds

1 can of chickpeas, drained
2 avocados, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups cooked farro
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1/4 cup of roasted shelled sunflower seeds (plus extra for garnish) 
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved (optional) 
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, avocado and farro. Add chives, mint and cilantro and toss. Add lemon juice, olive oil and cayenne and gently mix. Finally toss in the roasted sunflower seeds and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the extra sunflower seeds on top for an added crunch.  I've added sliced grape tomatoes for a pop of color but frankly, I think the recipe is delicious with or without them.
Enjoy!