Chickpea Corn Cakes: Crave-worthy Carbs

Chickpea Corn Cakes: Crave-worthy Carbs

by | Le Blog, Recipes and Culinary Nutrition

Chickpea Corn Cakes: Crave-worthy Carbs

chickpea corn cakes top

If you enjoy crunchy, sweet summer corn and savory, nutty chickpea flavors and a fast, easy recipe, continue. However, I feel compelled to defend corn just in case with this comment:

Carby chickpea corn cakes cause carb-avoiders cringe-worthy concerns, or conversely, conscious cravings. Now breathe.

 

Corn often gets dissed as low-nutrient, high-starch food, but this oversimplifies corn’s dietary profile.

chickpea corn cakes

Instead corn’s a good source of fiber, micronutrients and minerals that connect to health benefits.

As for corn cravings, sweet corn is a comfort food that connects us to summer and chowing down on a cob is just plain fun. Corn’s also a good source of umami offering savory, meaty flavors.

 

The Chickpea Ingredient

The chickpea in this recipe is from chickpea flour (besan or gram flour), a nutrient-rich, gluten-free flour. In these egg-free corn cakes, the sticky bean flour is a primary binding agent.

Enjoy corn cakes as an appetizer with a dollop of lemon yogurt sauce, garlic and walnut herb sauce or a salsa or as a dinner with a side salad.

 

Chickpea Corn Cakes

Yield: Makes 18-20

Ingredients

4 ears of corn (about 2 pounds trimmed or about 3 cups of kernels)
1½ cup chickpea flour
⅓ cup sweet rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons ground sumac (a citrus-like flavor, but is optional)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or ½ teaspoon for more hint of heat)
¾ to 1 cup water
1 large shallot, minced (about ⅓ cup)  (or ¼ of a small yellow onion)
4 tablespoons organic canola oil

Prep Steps  

  1. Shuck corn if needed, cut off kernels (hold stalk upright in the center of a tea towel and use a chef knife to strip off kernels). If using canned corn, drain and pat dry the kernels.
  2. In a bowl, stir together chickpea flour, rice flour, baking powder, salt, sumac and cayenne.
  3. Add water, shallot and corn. Mix with a spoon until blended. If not using immediately, refrigerate for 20 minutes or overnight to make forming patties easier.
  4. Form palm-sized patties about 1/2” thick with an even surface for nice browning. In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium-heat burner until it shimmers. Add patties leaving space between them, cook until each side is a dark brown color. Place on paper towels and repeat.
  5. Serve hot or at room temperature—see serving ideas below.

Serving Ideas & Nutrition Bonus:

Serve with dips sauces or topped with tangy Greek yogurt, Garlicky cheese-free pesto or a chunky-tomato ragout.

Nutrition bonus: for 4 corn cakes: Fiber 9 grams (woohoo) and 10 grams protein for only 236 calories

Like Chickpea flour? Also try my Chickpea shrimp fritters

Like the pan? I don’t represent Lodge cast iron, but do recommend them: more info here

    About Me

    The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
    Michele Redmond

    Michele Redmond

    French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

    It's about Making Food First

    Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

    Quinoa Boulettes vs Ikea Swedish Meatballs

    Quinoa Boulettes vs Ikea Swedish Meatballs

    by | Le Blog, Recipes and Culinary Nutrition

    Quinoa Boulettes vs Ikea Swedish Meatballs

    Mom would make Swedish meatballs for parties yet we weren’t Swedish, didn’t know anyone who was and Ikea was a two-day plane trip. Several decades later, braving my first trip to the hip-mega-everything store in search of kitchen doodads, I got overwhelmed and lost, but ended up following an aroma to the food court. I knew the source. I had rediscovered Swedish meatballs and memories of meatball platters, gravy and happy eaters.

    Quinoa Boulettes Green Sauc

     

    With this recipe, I’ve kept the appetizer angle of my childhood Swedish meatballs yet nixed the meat. However, calling them quinoa “meatballs” without using meat smells of “bait and switch” tactics. Instead, I embraced a European makeover by turning them into boulettes, a French culinary term, for small ball-shaped foods.

    As a plant-based omnivore, I recognize meatballs have their own special textures and flavors. The chewy Swedish ones of my childhood oozed buttery-fat flavors but, I’ve served these multiple times to meat-centric eaters who enjoyed the crispy exterior and moist, flavorful interior. I just didn’t promise “hey they taste just like meat”.

    Serve these quinoa boulettes as a complete meal with noodles and marinara or as a crunchy, healthy nibble to dip into an herby Greek yogurt, spicy marinara or garlicky vegan walnut pesto.

    Quinoa Boulettes

    Yield: Makes 35

    Quinoa Ingredients  (makes about 2 ¾ cups cooked. Can be done up to two days in advance)

    1 cup dry red quinoa (white or black works but red looks “meatier”)
    2 cups liquid (water or low-salt vegetable stock)
    ½ teaspoon salt

    Boulette Ingredients 

    ¾ cup bread crumbs (not panko)
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    ½ teaspoon sumac or other spice (see notes)
    ½ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika or other spice (see notes)
    ¼ teaspoon of cayenne
    3 garlic cloves, minced very fine (about 1½ teaspoon)
    3 large eggs
    ¼ small yellow onion, minced very fine (about ⅓ cup)
    1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil (for high smoke point)

    Prepping Quinoa 

    1. To a pot over medium-high heat, add quinoa, water and salt.
    2. When boiling, stir quinoa, reduce heat to low and cover with a lid.
    3. Cook 18-20 minutes or until no water remains in the pan.
    4. Remove quinoa from heat, leave covered 5 minutes, then uncover, use a fork to fluff it.

    Making Quinoa Boulettes:

    1. Turn oven to 475˚F. Place one rack at middle position and one at the top position. Lightly oil a baking sheet. To a mixing bowl, add bread crumbs, salt and spices and mix. Add cooled quinoa, garlic, eggs and onion and mix with a spoon.
    2. If you have time to let the quinoa cool, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to let breadcrumbs soften and make shaping easier.
    3. With a 1 tablespoon measure, scoop slightly heaping amounts of quinoa, pressing into the measuring spoon with your palm to compact it, then push it into your palm to form a 1 ¼”-1 ½” size ball (smaller than a golf ball). Place on baking sheet.
    4. On the middle rack, cook 8-12 minutes or until exterior firms up and base browns. Move to top rack, cook 6-8 minutes or until crispy and dark brown. Broil for 2-3 minutes if not dark enough.
    5. Remove from oven and baking sheet to serve warm or store in refrigerator for later use.

    Quinoa Boulettes Green Sauce F

    Spice and Serving options:

    • Savory spice options: sumac, Hungarian or California paprika (sweet pepper flavor, not smoked), zatar spice or different powdered chilies instead of cayenne are possibilities.
    • These are popular with spiced Greek yogurt dips or the walnut herb sauce I make that is like a pesto without cheese.

     

      About Me

      The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.

      Let’s Connect

      Michele Redmond

      Michele Redmond

      French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

      It's about Making Food First

      Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

      Happy Cooking: Jacques Pepin American Masters

      Happy Cooking: Jacques Pepin American Masters

      by | Health and Food Culture, Le Blog

      Happy Cooking: Jacques Pepin American Masters

      Jacques Pepin Lifesized Cake at IACP 2015

      Life-sized Oven Cake in Honor of Jacques at IACP 2015

      Jacques Pepin American Masters Culinary Icon

       

      Julia Child, Albert Einstein, George Lucas, Bob Dylan and now, Jacques Pepin, headline a PBS American Masters series. Pepin’s edition portrays his evolution from 13-year old apprentice to respected, influential chef turned popular TV cooking teacher, speaker and writer.

      Past IACP president Barbara Fenzl, close friend of Jacques Pepin, was interviewed for the documentary along with culinary professionals including José Andrés, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Colicchio and Marcus Samuelsson.

       

      From Chef to IACP Founder to TV, Teacher and Author

      One of the original founders of IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals), Jacques was honored at the D.C. conference for his 80th birthday with over 100 cakes driven to or flown into D.C., including a cake the size of an oven.

      Jacques cake flower

      Incredibly edible cake for Jacques Pepin’s birthday at IACP

      Barbara was interviewed during the D.C. conference for Pepin’s American Masters edition to provide a personal and professional perspective on his career. During her career, she worked with Jacques in many professional culinary venues, and when he started as traveling cooking teacher, he made multiple visits to teach at her Les Gourmettes cooking school in Arizona.

      I met with Barbara recently and she shared how Jacques is a natural teacher who may have gravitated towards teaching even if a serious car accident had not ended his professional chef career. His evolution from high-end chef to teacher and author of nearly 30 cookbooks includes:

      • personal chef of three French heads of state including President Charles de Gaulle,
      • an offer to be the “first chef” of the white house under President John F. Kennedy, and
      • turning down the white house to learn more about and contribute to American cuisine for the Howard Johnson hotel chain as the Director of Research and New Development.

      French Immigrant Embracing & Evolving American Cuisine

      Jacques arrived an immigrant from France who embraced American culture and has influenced how we eat. Barbara knew him from his days of creating caramel cages to decorate dessert plates and saw his evolution to a food and culinary educator who made food and cooking approachable.

      “even when he cooked with tongue, he pulled people into the food” says Fenzl.

      Don’t miss this preview of an esteemed culinary compatriot and model for creating good food and engaging Americans to cook. PBS summed Jacques attitude towards food and cooking well: “Jacques’s catchphrase of “happy cooking”: honesty of ingredients, simplicity of approach, and a joy for sharing good food with loved ones”.

      IACP Pepin Fenzel 400

      Fenzl and Pepin at IACP 2011 Culinary Demo in Austin

      Pepin’s fooditude can be promoted by anyone who loves food and shows how cooking can bring us all together as people and Americans.

      “Jacques’s catchphrase of “happy cooking”: honesty of ingredients, simplicity of approach, and a joy for sharing good food with loved ones” (PBS)

      Where to Watch:

      PBS American Masters Jacques Pepin

      Chef Michele with Jacques IAPC 2012

      Favorite Pepin Quotes:

      “Cooking is the art of adjustment.”

      “You can’t escape the taste of the food you had as a child. In times of stress, what do you dream about? Your mother’s clam chowder. It’s security, comfort. It brings you home.”

      “When you become a good cook, you become a good craftsman, first. You repeat and repeat and repeat until your hands know how to move without thinking about it.”

      “Just because I am a chef doesn’t mean I don’t rely on fast recipes. Indeed, we all have moments when, pressed for time, we’ll use a can of tuna and a tomato for a first course. It’s a question of choosing the right recipes for the rest of the menu.”

        About Me

        The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
        Michele Redmond

        Michele Redmond

        French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

        It's about Making Food First

        Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

        From Bubbly, Burpy Beast to Sourdough Bread

        From Bubbly, Burpy Beast to Sourdough Bread

        by | Health and Food Culture, Le Blog

        From Bubbly, Burpy Beast to Sourdough Bread

        In our household, National Sourdough Bread Day is a reminder to be generous.

         

        My mom’s habit of giving a loaf of sourdough bread to new neighbors or someone needing comfort became our family tradition.

        Bread makes a practical edible gift, but offering someone a scoop of sourdough starter promises them a future of fresh-baked treats. Starting with yeast captured in a desert garden, our 10-year-old starter, has made over 1,000 loaves of bread for meals, parties and gifts.

        Keeping sourdough starter alive and healthy takes minimal effort and gives our family a nutrient-rich, flavorful ingredient for making sandwich bread, baguettes, buns, pizzas and more.

         

        Sourdough bread loaf slice

         

        Start with StarterSourdough bread starter

         

        Even a minimalist kitchen has starter ingredients—water and a grain-based flour. The base ingredient in many doughs, it’s a goopy mass created from mixing nearly equal amounts in weight of flour (which naturally includes yeast) and water. Leaving this sludge uncovered will also expose it to wild yeast present in the air.

        The type of yeast for bread products affects flavor, texture, shelf life, nutrient content and even digestibility. Commercially packaged dry or instant yeast rely on the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae yeast strain. Unlike starters that involve natural or wild yeast, it’s a monoculture yeast bred to speed up carbon dioxide (CO2) production for fast or mass-produced dough.

         

        Flour + Water = Starter Base

        Yeast starter sourdough bread explode

        Rogue Sourdough Starter = Overactive fermentation

        Fermenting and Feeding Little Beasties

        To create a mature, bubbly starter, some starter is removed before it’s fed flour and water. Starches breakdown and yeast creates alcohol and CO2 while bacteria, like lactobacillus, develop flavorful acids and lower the pH. It’s preferred fermentation temperature is around 70°F but it can go rogue and explode (see picture) if too warm.

        Within a week of this microorganism throw-down, a bubbly burping mass emerges ready to become bread.

        Starter base + Fermentation & Feeding

        = Active Starter

        To make bread, flour is added to active starter along with other basic bread ingredients, salt (affects texture and flavor) and water, then it’s left to proof. The starter is then refed and stored, often in the refrigerator, to control the fermentation until the next use.
        Some bakers confess to traveling with their starter or hiring a sourdough sitter to feed it, but once starter is active and healthy, it can last ten plus days in the fridge while you’re on a no-yeast pet vacation.

        Scoop of Starter + Flour + Salt + Water = Dough ready to rise (Proofing)

        Sourdough bread starterSourdough Bread Benefits

        Home-made starter doesn’t guarantee tangy bread products, these develop from fermentation and result from lactic and acetic acid from specific yeast such Candida milleri and bacteria strains including Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis.

        The production of fermentation acids and other compounds result in longer shelf life without additives or preservatives–see example below.

         

        Stone soup sourdough bread ingredients

         

        Unlike quick-rise or industrially-produced loaves which force breads to rise fast, longer rises create complex flavors and better structure (crust texture and chew density) which enhances flavor perception.

        Longer rise times also give yeast and bacteria more opportunities to digest gluten and are linked lower and slowed glycemic response for long-fermented sourdough breads. A gift of sourdough bread isn’t just food, but an intention to share the nourishing and pleasurable experience of eating it.

          About Me

          The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
          Michele Redmond

          Michele Redmond

          French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

          It's about Making Food First

          Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

          No Cell Phone Zones and Digital Dining Etiquette for Healthier Habits

          No Cell Phone Zones and Digital Dining Etiquette for Healthier Habits

          by | Health and Food Culture, Home Featured, Le Blog

          No Cell Phone Zones and Digital Dining Etiquette for Healthier Habits

          Gaps in my childhood memories are like holes in Swiss cheese, yet recollections of meals evoke a solid sense of belonging and comfort.

          Feeling gushy about meals is easy when you nourish yourself, nurture friends and family and take a break from daily busyness to listen, share, laugh, commiserate and connect.

          Commensal vs Convivial Eating and Cell Phones

          Eating together, or commensality, is common—anyone, even animals can do it, but convivial eating, or fully engaging with someone during a meal is becoming rare.

          Conviviality, a conscious social choice, separates dining together from simply eating food.

          No cell phone zones Digital dining couple“The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling our body to a ritual of family and community, from mere animal biology to an act of culture.” Micheal Pollan

          Often, at restaurants, I see tables full of diners, heads bent over their glowing laps. They’re being commensal, but where’s the conviviality?

          Most adults (82 percent) surveyed by the Pew Research Center, felt cell phone use during social gatherings hurt the atmosphere or conversations of the group.

          Yet, despite their concerns, 38 percent felt it was generally okay to use cell phones at restaurants. But family dinners? No.

          Cell Phone Digital Dining Table setting with phoneDon’t set a place for phones since only 12 percent felt they belonged at a family dinner.

          Physical and Emotional Health

          Multiple studies link commensal family meals with positive benefits ranging from:

          • better food choices,
          • more moderate portion sizes,
          • improved food recall and enjoyment,
          • better school outcomes,
          • lower risk of obesity, and
          • less drugs or alcohol abuse by teenagers.

          Studies focusing more on conviviality, link social interaction at meals as one key component in strengthening family ties and teaching children empathy and how to notice and interpret facial, eye and vocal tone cues.

          Tech experts and psychiatrists can connect cell phone use to elevated stress levels and changes in how we interact with people IRL (text for In-Real-Life). Children and young adults, in some studies, shared feeling insecure and neglected because of adults dining with devices at family meals.

          No Cell Phone ZoneFamily Dining Al Fresco

          Making a meal a mobile event or inviting the phone to the table can weaken social ties and ruin opportunities to create an environment of comfort and support.

          “Your dinner table can be a sanctuary from the outside world, with its angry cries for and against. It can be a place to process the events of the day, the week, the month, the year, and always to celebrate the delicious.” Sam Sifton 

          Rebecca Wheeler, culinary instructor, food tour guide and mom, treats their family dinners as sacred times since work schedules or events limit the number of sit-down family dinners during the week.

          “So, we take that time to light a candle, say what we’re grateful for, and talk and listen to each other.”

          Along with her husband, they’ve achieved a no-phone zone (or other electronics) at the table. Their concern was that even picking up or glancing at a phone or device was a distraction and a subtle message that something else was more important than eating together.

          As parents, they’ve resisted their own tech temptations at the table, instead modeling their message to teach their kids good habits around technology.

           “for this reason there are no exceptions. It’s just easier to have some family rules be black and white.”

           

          Mobile Meal Etiquette for Healthier Dinner HabitsNo cell phone zone digital dining time for change

          For people who commonly invite their phone to dinner, the idea of a no-phone zone at meals may trigger stress, even nomophobia—elevated anxiety due to “no–more-phone” access. In the case of periodic use of phones at meals, consider adopting some basic phone etiquette to help create healthier and more socially considerate habits.

          Icon fork knife spoon whiteExamine your motivations and priorities. Is that phone call, text, email, social media post critical or does just feel like it? What’s behind the need or desire to respond? Can it wait until after the meal? Will a crisis evolve if you take break to prioritize people who want to enjoy your company and a meal?

          Icon fork knife spoon whiteNuke the Notifications: Don’t tempt yourself. If you decide to devote your attention to socializing with others, turn off your phone or notifications and place it out of sight. Its presence on a table signals to your IRL friends or family members that more virtual distractions are likely.

          Icon fork knife spoon whiteDon’t look distracted or disengaged: Even a text, short email or glance at the phone to check for updates immediately communicates that someone else who is not at the meal is more important. Don’t buy into the myth that you can multi-task conversations in meaningful ways; no-one’s brain does this outside of science fiction movies.

          Icon fork knife spoon whiteAcknowledge your fellow eaters. If a potential phone distraction is likely or feels unavoidable, share that you have a time-sensitive or important issue which may require your attention and apologize, in advance.

          Icon fork knife spoon whiteDon’t invite a virtual-third party to the table: If you must take a call, leave the table to talk without being overheard. This practice avoids disrupting the meal and making your priority everyone else’s business.

          Icon fork knife spoon whiteProtect against Pathogenic Phones: Clean your phone often and wash your hands after using it. Over 90 percent of phones carry common bacteria such as Bacillus (think dirt) or viridans streptococci (mouth and throat) and some harbor worse pathogens like e-coli (poor bathroom washing behavior) or even the antibiotic resistant MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

          This year’s National Nutrition Month theme is “Put your best fork forward”. Eating well isn’t just nutrients, but how you think about eating. Consider the month of March a time to adopt new cell phone habits. A no-phone zone or better meal phone habits can pay-off with better health, well-being and relationships. At the very least, your memories of engaging with friends or family over a meal last forever, unlike your latest cell phone.

          Geeky Resource List:

          Pew Study: Americans Views on Mobile Etiquette
          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3042390/   Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults – a prospective cohort study
          NBC News cellphone and distracted parenting
          https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/the-importance-of-eating-together/374256/
          http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/eating-as-a-family/family-meals-small-investment-big-payoff
          http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/100713p30.shtml
          http://www.medicaldaily.com/distracted-eating-front-your-tv-or-your-phone-makes-you-fat-more-likely-snack-later-336438
          Scientific American study nomophobia or fear-of-being-without-a-mobile-phone
          https://www.statefoodsafety.com/Resources/article/category/Resources/article/the-dirty-cell-phone-25-107-bacteria-per-square-inch
          http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/how-dirty-is-your-phone/

            About Me

            The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
            Michele Redmond

            Michele Redmond

            French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

            It's about Making Food First

            Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

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