My oldest son’s favorite dish is swedish meatballs, last night I took a vegetarian twist on this and served up an instant classic! First, some nutritional factoids…
Chickpeas provide dietary calcium with some sources citing the garbanzo’s calcium content as about the same as yogurt and close to milk. Chickpeas are also a helpful source of fiber as well as zinc, folate and protein.
Bulgur is more nutritious than white rice and couscous, because it contains more fiber and more vitamins and minerals and has a lower glycemic index than white rice or couscous. Bulgur is also a good source of potassium.
These ‘meat’balls were easy to prepare, and great for a hearty weeknight dinner.
2 cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup of cooked bulgur wheat (prepared according to package directions)
1/2 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tblsp each (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano)
1 egg (for binding – you can also use ground 1 tblsp flax seed and 1 tblsp water)
1/2 bread crumbs
2 tblsp tamari
1 c olive oil (for frying)
Set aside the cooked bulgur wheat in a large bowl. Allow it to cool.
In a large pot combine the chicken or vegetable stock, chick peas, peppers, onion, garlic bay leaf and half the measure of spices – cook on medium high heat for 30 minutes.
Drain the chickpeas and remove the onion, pepper, garlic and bay leaf. Reserve the liquid (you can use it as a base for a mushroom gravy to go over the ‘meat’balls).
Add the cooked chickpeas to the bulgur wheat, and smash the mixture with the tines of a fork or a pastry cutter – work the mixture until you have reached your desired consistency. My kids don’t dig big chunks so I make sure my mixture is processed very finely.
Add the remaining measure of spices, egg, bread crumb and tamari to your chickpea and bulgur wheat mixture.
Fold the mixture with your hands to combine, don’t overmix or you’ll end up with a tough end product.
Add the olive oil to a frying pan, set to medium-high heat.
With your hands, form your bulgur wheat and chickpea mixture into 1/2 in. diameter balls – set aside on a plate while you allow the oil to heat up.
Fry the ‘meat’balls in batches of 8-10 depending on the size of your pan – don’t add too many or the oil will cool and you will end up with a soggy broken mess.
The ‘meat’balls are done when they are browned and crispy on all sides.
I served my creations with a side of buttered egg noodles and spring peas.
Divine.
…Enjoy!
