chickpea cutlets

these really simple to make cutlets are great for dinner at any time of year or . . . they make a great dish for thanksgiving (instead of turkey - of course).

Ingredients:

~1 (15ounce) can of chickpeas - drained & rinsed
~1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
~1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
~1/2 cup vegetable broth
~1 & 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (i use "italian herb -organic breadcrumbs)
~1 teaspoon dried sage
~1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or dried - i had fresh on hand so i used that)
~1 teaspoon paprika & chipotle mix (optional)
~1 & 1/4 teaspoon lemon or lime zest (optional)

~olive oil for frying.

Directions:

1) in a bowl add 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil & the chickpeas. mash until there are no whole chickpeas. i use a fork for this, it takes a little time to get them all, but try not to use a blender.

2) after the chickpeas are mashed well, add the remaining ingredients & knead them together for about 4 minutes until you get a pretty good dough or strings of gluten start to form. if it is really tacky add more breadcrumbs - use your best judgement on this.

3) preheat a large thick bottom skillet over low-medium heat

4) with your hands knead 8 pieces of equal size into: 6" long by 3-4" wide rectangular shapes.
after you have the shape you want, place them on a clean surface to flatten out a bit.

5) when you skillet is hot, add a think layer of the olive oil

6) place cutlets in pan (as many as you can fit with out them touching) & cook each side for about 7-8 minutes.
press down on them when cooking - cover between flips - add more oil if need. the cutlets are done when they appear lightly browned & firm to the touch. you want a bit crispy on the outside & chewy on the inside.

7) when they are done, allow them to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.

enjoy - i know i did ;)

PS:
you can choose any side you like to go with these.. twice baked cauliflower potato & green beans, stuffing, sweet potato & broccoli, baked sweet carrots/potatoes & apple cranberry sauce as shown here. the sky is the limit with this dish ;) i would however suggest adding a gravy & a sweet sauce (cranberry or apple).. but those are my taste buds, as you can read i also seem to like potatoes hahaha.

in a few days i will have the recipe up for vegan brown gravy, the apple cranberry sauce and these awesome sweet carrots & potatoes. so check back in a few...