Chickpea Patties Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Summer is fully upon us. Can you believe it? July is almost over and the heat is still sizzling. They say this is the hottest summer on record all over the globe. Interesting...and good to hear that I am pregnant on such a summer :) I will have to make sure to let my little one know that I had "suffered" such heat. Really though, it is hot enough to really crave some fresh foods. So, how about a salad? Not just any salad of course. How about something crispy and full of flavor. Some to dress up that summer grilled meal or get together...

This recipe was an experiment for me. Although, because chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are naturally gluten-free I thought this may not be much of a stretch in the gluten-free dept. I always love finding a new way to do salad, especially in the summer when you have abundant greens and veggies. So, here we go...

Homemade Chickpea Patties (falafel) Recipe:

1 15 ounce can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)

1 medium chopped yellow or sweet onion

2-3 garlic cloves

3 TB of fresh parsley

1 TB of fresh thyme

1 TB of fresh sage

1 ts. of paprika

1 ts. of ground coriander

1 ts. of ground cumin

1/4 cup of rice flour, or millet flour

1 ts. of black pepper

1 ts. of sea salt

Put all of the above ingredients in a food processor or blender. Chop and blend for a few seconds until everything is blended well. If you want them a little more chunky then be careful not to over do it with the blending, but if you want them to be creamier, then blend till your heart is content.

Then, drizzle some olive oil in a frying pan or cast iron pan. Let it warm up and make sure you have enough oil in the pan not to have the patties stick. Then form a ping ball sized ball in your spoon and drop it in the hot-oiled pan. Fry on each side for a minute or so until it is fried and cooked through. Make sure to cook on a lower heat once you get them into the pan.... slower is better to make it crispier and also to cook all the way through. They will be crispy on the outside and a bit moist on the inside. Imagine you are making little chickpea pancakes...
Now, to dress up a fresh greens salad.

I used:

1 head of green (or red) leaf lettuce

add some fresh cut spinach if you want more greens

1 cucumber chopped

1 green pepper chopped

2 carrots pealed into strips

Add other veggies, tomatoes or herbs to dress it up to your desire.

Homemade Lemon-Tahini Dressing Recipe:

1/3 cup of tahini (ground sesame seeds with oil)

1 fresh squeezed lemon full of juice (1/4 cup amount)

1/3 cup of drizzled extra virgin olive oil (slowly add to emulsify)

1 ts. of paprika

1 ts. of sea salt

1 ts. of cracked black pepper

Make sure you use a tahini that is in its natural state that you can see the oil separation in the jar and it is oily enough to use some of the oil and ground sesame seeds. Whisk all the above ingredients in a bowl, adding the oil slowly to emulsify the oil and whip the dressing into a creamy substance.

Dress the salad with the fresh chickpea patties and dressing. You can either dress the whole salad in a serving bowl ready to serve, or individual bowls so that each person can decide the amounts of patties and dressing. Then, enjoy!!! It is a perfect summer salad with a touch of crispy flavor-full goodness.

Much love to you!

This recipe is linked on The Nourishing Gourmet's Thursday Pennywise Platter, check it out!