Quinoa patties or Falafel is a healthy recipe that is crispy outside and soft inside. Quinoa patties with chickpeas are high in protein. You can serve them as it is, put them in pita bread, or wrap them with vegetables and sauces.
If you like to be more healthy, cook quinoa in vegetable stock. While preparing for burger patties, make sure you make the bigger patties. You can slice and add in salads too. Quinoa falafel is baked for the healthier option.
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Food for the thought
“The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.”
― George Carlin
Benefits of the ingredients (source)
Quinoa is also a good source of potassium, which you need for muscle and protein-building. In addition, it offers minerals and vitamins.
Chickpeas As a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Additionally, they are high in protein.
Video for quinoa patties
Steps for preparing quinoa falafel
- In a processor, add the cooked quinoa, chickpeas, garlic, shallots, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, reserved water from chickpeas, and cilantro, and process until smooth.
- Shape them into patties. After making them into patties, you can store them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the patties for 15 minutes by turning once in the middle.
Variations
Chickpeas: The more accessible version is canned chickpeas. If using dried chickpeas, soak the chickpeas overnight and cook.
Spice powders: I have used ground cumin and coriander powder. You may use crushed corianders, which are more flavorful. You can skip the cayenne powder and use red chili powder.
Herb: I have used a bunch of cilantro. You can use parsley or a combination of parsley and cilantro.
Water: For this recipe, the reserved water from the canned beans or cooked beans is used. Alternatively, you can use plain water too. This process is for binding all the mixtures together.
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Questions/Tips
Should I cook quinoa before use?
Yes, it would be best if you cooked quinoa before grinding. The raw quinoa will not be cooked in the oven within 10 minutes. Since we use cooked quinoa and chickpeas in baking or frying, the part is mainly for the crispy top layer.
Can I use canned chickpeas?
Absolutely yes. That’s the easy and quick version to prepare. While using canned chickpeas, drain the water from the chickpeas through a strainer and reserve the water separately.
Could I use dry chickpeas?
Yes, you can. This process needs planning. If you prepare for dinner, ensure you soak the chickpeas a day before. Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight. Rinse it and cook for 15 minutes using an Instant pot or pressure cooker. Add salt while cooking.
Can I use whole coriander seeds?
That’s more flavorful than ground coriander. Before adding coriander seeds, crush them in the mortar and pestle and use them.
Ways to cook Falafel
There are four different ways you can cook Falafel.
Deep fry method: Falafel cooked in this method is traditional and has a crunchy and crispy outside and soft inside.
Shallow fry method: In the external fry method, use little oil on the pan, cook Falafel on a low-medium flame, and fry on all sides. These Falafel are not that crispy comparable to the deep-fry method.
Oven Method: You can cook Falafel in the oven with no oil. This is an oil-free method. If you are on a diet or have no oil for health conditions, go for this method.
Air fryer method: I cannot comment on this since I have not used it personally. Reading many blogs, I also think this yields crispy balls.
What flour should I use in Falafel?
Garbanzo flour is usually used as a binding agent. Alternatively, you can use all-purpose, oat, or rice flour. I have tried each different flour. The first choice would be chickpeas flour, then rice flour.
Meal prep/ How to store quinoa patties
Follow the procedure till we shape them into patties; once the patties are made, dry them outside for 15 minutes. Then transfer them to the freezer-safe bags and freeze them. To defrost, put them in the microwave for 30 seconds and bake or fry them. If not microwaving, keep it in the refrigerator overnight and bake them.
Recipe card for the quinoa patties
Quinoa falafel
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup cooked/canned chickpeas
- 4 garlic
- 5 shallots
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup reserved water from chickpeas
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- pepper & salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a processor, add the cooked quinoa, chickpeas, garlic, shallots, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, reserved water from chickpeas, and cilantro and process until smooth.
- Shape them into patties. After making into patties you can store them in the refrigerator for couple of hours or freeze them for future use.
- Make sure you refrigerate for an hour before baking.
- Bake the patties for 15 minutes by turning once in the middle.
- Serve with sauce or use it with pita bread, burger, salads, or sandwiches.
Notes
- You can deep fry or shallow fry the patties.
- If you are making patties for the burger, do it in a bigger size.
- You can use crushed coriander seeds for more flavor.