Today was a whirlwind of a day. I've been busy all day but yet I feel like I haven't accomplished anything. With zero time to cook a full meal this is when my pre-made frozen meals come in handy. I made these Chickpea Patties a few weeks back and froze them for days just like today. Now all I have to do is whip up the Tahini Sauce, halve the pitas and make a salad. 

I absolutely love everything about these little compact beauties. Place three or four patties inside a halved, warmed pita and drizzle with the prepared tahini sauce, eat them as a snack (great for on-the-go), or simply place three them on top of a giant garden salad and dig in! 

Enough of my ramblings, scroll down for the full Mini Chickpea Patty and fresh Tahini Sauce Recipes. Enjoy warriors - xo's

Quick and Easy Mini Chickpea Patties

and Tahini Sauce

PREP TIME:
COOK TIME: 
TOTAL TIME: 
SERVES: 4
AUTHOR: Mary Mammoliti / Kitchen Confession / kitchenconfession.com

This recipe yields 12-14 chickpea patties, which is enough for three to four people.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup oat flour (directions to make your own in step 1 below)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 (19-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 white onion
• 6 cloves roasted garlic
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Canola or Grape seed oil, for the pan

FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE

• 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt (full fat or non-fat)
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the oat flour pour 1 cup rolled Oates in a food processor or vitamix and pulse. Measure out 1/2 cup and save the remainder for another day.
2. To the vitamin or food processor add the chickpeas, egg, parsley, lemon zest, cumin, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) and pulse until coarsely chopped and mixture is just starting to come together in clumps.
3. Transfer the chickpea mixture to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
4. While the chickpea mixture is chilling, prepare the tahini sauce by whisking together the yogurt, tahini and lemon juice, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic. Cover it and place it in the fridge.
5. Once the chickpea mixture has chilled, use a small ice cream scoop or measuring spoons to form the mixture into 14 small balls and using your hands gently flatten into patties (roughly 2-3 Tablespoons per ball). NOTE: If you are preparing this in advance to be consumed later the patties can be covered and refrigerated for a few days.)
6. Set a large sauté pan over medium heat and add a liberal amount of canola or grape seed oil so that the pan is well-coated. Let the pan pre-heat for 2-3 minutes then add the chickpea patty one by one, browning them on the first side for 1 minute 30 seconds, then flipping them once and browning the second for approximately 1 minute or until the mixture is cooked throughout.
7. Transfer the chickpea patty to a paper towel-lined cooling wrack. Repeat this process until you have cooked all of the mini chickpea patties.

Note: You can freeze the Mini chickpea patties and have them on days where time is limited. Defrost or heat from frozen in the oven or microwave.