Crispy Baked Spring Chickpea Cakes with Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce (GF, Vegetarian)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Spring inspired crispy delicious savory cakes that come together easily - perfect for weeknights, brunches, lunches or served as an appetizer.
Author:
Serves: 12 cakes
Ingredients
  • For the Cakes:
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas (thoroughly rinsed and drained if using canned)
  • scant ½ cup yellow onion, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 cup cooked grains or rice of choice (see Notes) at room temperature
  • ¾ cup crumpled feta cheese
  • ½ cup spring peas
  • 1 egg
  • sea salt & coarse pepper to taste
  • For the Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce:
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt, I use 2%
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp lemon zest
  • 2 cloves of garlic, or to taste, minced
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
  • sea salt & coarse pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. I recommend making the yogurt sauce at least one hour ahead of time to allow the flavors to permeate. Simply combine all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce in a small bowl or container with lid. Season with salt to taste and refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  3. Place cooked chickpeas, onion and garlic in a small blender or food processor. Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp olive oil and a good pinch of coarse black pepper and salt to taste.
  4. Pulse the ingredients together until they are broken down but not to the point of a smooth purée. The ingredients should still be well textured (somewhat lumpy) but broken down.
  5. Transfer ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add cooked grain of choice, feta and peas mixing with a spoon to combine. Add egg, pepper & salt and mix well to combine. The mixture should be moist and sticky (capable of forming into a patty).
  6. Using your hands, form the mixture into patties - roughly ⅓-inch thick x 2½-inches in diameter, to yield approximately 12 cakes.
  7. Carefully transfer the cakes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (ungreased).
  8. Bake the cakes for 18-20 minutes - they will be fragrant and have golden striations on the bottom side. Remove tray - wait two minutes - and carefully turn the patties over and cook for another 10-15 minutes until they are golden brown and beginning to crisp on the outside. The trick is to get them a nice golden color/crispy texture without burning them.
  9. Remove tray from the oven and allow the cakes to cool for 3-5 minutes before gently transferring to a plate.
  10. Serve cakes warm with a generous dollop of delicious lemon-dill yogurt sauce.
  11. These cakes are best enjoyed from the oven (their crispy texture will not endure well in storage).
Notes
The Grain: you can use any number or combination of grains or rice here - I used a Gluten-Free mix of white/red quinoa, millet and buckwheat sold together under the label "super grains" at Whole Foods.
The Cheese: the cheese imparts taste and texture to these cakes and also adds a binding/elasticity element. Goat cheese would be a good substitute for the feta here.
The Sauce: dill and lemon complement these spring inspired cakes but you can substitute as you please - rosemary, a touch of basil, mint or pineapple sage are other ideas depending on your particular preference.
Timing: I recommend assembling the sauce at least one hour ahead of time to allow the delicious flavors to gather. Keep in mind though that the garlic will also intensify over time - I like my garlic the way I like my cheese (the stinkier the better) but if you know this is not your thing, you can mix it in at the last moment or skip it altogether.
Serving: these cakes are definitely at their best served from the oven - the crispiness will not endure in storage. If you have leftovers, you can certainly store them and rewarm but the texture experience may be different.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2016/03/crispy-baked-spring-chickpea-cakes-with-lemon-dill-yogurt-sauce.html