Cooking
with Ellen:
Chick Pea Meatballs
By FBWorld Team
This
was easy to make (via
Ciao Italia), and has definitely made it into
my tried and true category. I simply served these meat
free "meat-balls" with a fresh made marinara
over a penne pasta. This recipe required some adjustments
for the first couple of tries, but it was definitely worth
it. Watch the excess liquid contained in the sautéed
vegetables, as it will make the batter harder to work
with if you don't squeeze some of the liquid out . Then,
if you have the time, refrigerate the batter overnight,
so the balls will be easier to form. If your batter is
still not at the desired consistency, slowly add in some
extra bread crumbs, but do not overdo it.
This
is an extremely versatile recipe, with plenty of room
for creativity. You can always flatten the ball and make
a veggie burger out of it. And, if your batter is too
soupy, put it on a well oiled skillet and make a pancake
out of it. Any way you slice it, this is a delicious recipe
and you would like it even if you weren't a vegetarian.
If you want to spice it up a little, add in a TBS of freshly
grated ginger, a teaspoon of ground cumin and a teaspoon
of nutmeg. The aroma is sensational!
ABOUT THE CHICK PEA
Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense food, providing rich content
of protein, dietary fibre, folate, and certain dietary
minerals such as iron and phosphorus.[18][19] Thiamin,
vitamin B6, magnesium, and zinc contents are moderate,
providing approximately 10 - 15% of the Daily Nutritional
value.
Cooking
treatments do not lead to variance in total protein and
carbohydrate content. Soaking and cooking of dry seeds
possibly induces chemical modification of protein-fibre
complexes, which leads to an increase in crude fibre content.
Thus, cooking can increase protein quality by inactivating
or destroying heat-labile antinutritional factors. Cooking
also increases protein digestibility, essential amino
acid index, and protein efficiency ratio. Although cooking
lowers concentrations of amino acids such as tryptophan,
lysine, total aromatic, and sulphur-containing amino acids,
their contents are still higher than proposed by the FAO/WHO
reference. Diffusion of reducing sugars, raffinose, sucrose
and others into cooking water reduces or completely removes
these components. Cooking also significantly reduces fat
and mineral contents. The B vitamins riboflavin, thiamin,
niacin, and pyridoxine dissolve into cooking water at
differing rates.
This
was a direct quote from Wikipedia on the effects of cooking
chickpeas, and I included it because there is a presumption
of loss of nutritional value when raw food is cooked.
This paragraph clearly explains to raw food enthusiasts
the value of the cooked chick pea and its preservation
and digestibility of its protein value.
Chick
Pea Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 14-oz. can Chickpeas, (drained)
1 small sweet red pepper, (seeded and coarsely chopped)
1 small Zucchini, (ends trimmed and coarsely chopped)
1 small Carrot, (scraped and chopped)
1 Leek (white part) (cut into rings)
1 clove Garlic, (peeled)
3 tbls. Olive Oil
3 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Dry Bread Crumbs
Fine Sea Salt to taste
Canola Oil for Frying
Procedures:
1. Pulse the chickpeas in a food processor
and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
2.
Add the pepper, zucchini, carrot, leek and garlic to the
food processor and pulse until the mixture looks minced.
At this point, you want to squeeze the excess liquid out
of the minced vegetables before you sautee them. Use a
paper towel to do this, or squeeze them up against the
side of the bowl. This will help make your mixture stiffer
to form the balls with.
3.
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and stir in the
minced vegetables; cook until softened. Cool about 5 minutes.
Transfer the vegetables to the bowl with the chickpeas.
Add one egg and mix well. Refrigerate until cooled down
completely and batter is stiff. Four hours is sufficient,
but overnight is perfect.
4.
With wet hands, form 1 inch balls. If your batter is not
firm enough, add some breadcrumbs. Set aside.
5.
Beat the remaining two eggs in a shallow bowl and place
the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl.
6.
Coat each ball in egg then in bread crumbs and place on
a dish. When all the balls are coated, heat 4 cups of
oil in a heavy duty pot or a deep fryer to 375°F.
7.
Fry the balls a few at a time until golden brown and use
a slotted spoon to transfer them to absorbent paper to
drain. Serve warm.
Other Related Links:
Pasta
with Ricotta and Peas
Enjoy!
Ellen Walsh
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