Feast in the MIddle East

 

Hello Dear FITME Family!

Are all of you okay? Hoping that you are well stocked with necessities and that you are healthy? Thinking about you all during this surreal time and can’t wait for this to be over.  This whole thing has taught me to appreciate valuable time with my family even more–even if it’s on Facetime. So, videotaping cooking segments with my mother is going to be put on hold, but I am  hoping to put out some great videos with her in May. In the meantime I will be putting out videos for my new Quarantine Cheap Eats Series as I know a lot of people are on a serious budget right now.

Here is a recipe you can try for the time being, for Middle Eastern Chickpea Burgers. This is part one of my cheap eats series. These burgers are vegan, and per patty have only about 90 calories. In case you want to know the macros, per serving you get 40% of your vitamin A, along with 4 grams protein, 4 grams fiber, 1 gram fat, and 15 grams of carbs.

 

I learned from my mother about the value of legumes to get through hard times.  Legumes are fantastic in times of food uncertainty  because they are cheap, readily available, can be stored for a long time without going bad, and are rich with filling fiber and plant protein.  After the 1967 war, my parents in Palestine subsisted on mostly hummus, felafel, and mujaddara, or the lentil and rice dish with caramelized onions (onions are also a durable and cheap vegetable).  Now most people do consider these  dishes to be delicious, but these are the foods Arabs have depended on in times of food insecurity and poverty  throughout history.  Most people don’t necessarily crave legumes, but once turned into flavorful dishes it doesn’t feel like such a sacrifice after all.  Hope you give this recipe a try and tell me what you think!

INGREDIENTS:

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 can chickpeas

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from ½ lemon)

1/4 cup oats

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon cumin

½ tsp turmeric

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 carrot, grated

¼  onion, grated

1 tbsp avocado oil 

4 hamburger buns, split and toasted

Optional aoli sauce or hummus

Tomato and avocado slices 

 

DIRECTIONS:

1) Drain the chickpeas. In a food processor, process the oats to make a coarse flour. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, onions, garlic, cumin, turmeric, and salt. Process for 1 minutes or until smooth. Add the carrots and parsley and pulse some more. Form into 4 ¾-inch-thick patties.

2) Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Heat 1 tbsp avocado oil, then add the  patties, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes each side or until golden and heated through, turning once.

3) Serve with avocado, lettuce, tomato, and aoli or hummus