Wholegrain Veg & Chickpea Fritters with Cottage Cheese Dressing
Fritters!! Okay here goes, there are two types of fritters in the world, the really crunchy ones and then then not-so-crunchy-ones but they are super healthy and still very moorish.
These wholegrain fritters are the latter, they are healthy, full of fibre, gluten-free and packs a plant protein punch.
The chickpea fritters with the creamy cottage cheese dressing on the side make a nutritious, protein and fibre rich vegetarian dish.
Why you should make these fritters
- SUPER EASY to make using shop-bought coleslaw ( I went for Woolies rainbow slaw) – simply add ingredients and whizz
- you can keep the fritter batter and dressing in the fridge for 3 days – super convenient to fry and eat the fritters when you want to
- these fritters would make a great breakfast, lunch or dinner option
- loaded with a rainbow of veg and fibre and good source of protein
- you can serve these fritters with my 6 minute jammy eggs or smoked salmon like I did
The fritters are fragile
I wanted to create a gluten-free fritter with almost no flour. I wanted the little flour that I did use to be wholegrain and gluten-free – which equals in cooking terms to fritters that are fragile to flip. A gentle touch is needed when frying and flipping the fritters.
Three tips:
- Â the pan needs to be non-stick;
- a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil;
- heated oil – ideally we need to hear a sizzle when the fritters hit the pan.
If you can’t be bothered with all the gentleness then double up on the flour and use normal cake flour.
Serving suggestions
Fritters are made to be served alongside ‘lekker’ things, soft boiled eggs, smoked salmon or trout or bean chilli’s.
Wholegrain Veg & Chickpea Fritters with Cottage Cheese Dressing
Equipment
- NutriBullet for the dressing
- food processor or hand-blender
- mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas drained
- 2 cups shop-bought slaw
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 tbsp buckwheat flour
- salt & pepper
Cottage Cheese Dressing
- 250 g full fat cottage cheese
- 1/4 avo
- handful coriander
- small garlic clove
- 1 lime/lemon zest and juice to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed & drained
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Toast the cumin seeds until fragrant and grind in a mortar & pestle until fine.
- In a food processor add the chickpeas, slaw and spring onions and pulse (not mix) 1 to 2 times for the mixture to come together to a chunky mix. The aim is to find the sweet spot between 'coming together' but not smooth.
- Season generously. Add the eggs and the flour and mix well - set aside in the fridge.
- To make the dressing, blitz the dressing ingredients together and season to perfection. If the mixture is too thick, add a few tbsp water to loosen. The dressing will thicken as it 'sits'.
- To fry the fritters, drizzle olive oil in a non-stick pan, for one fritter, spoon about 2 tablespoons of mix into wet hands and roughly form a 'patty' shape fritter.
- Pinch a piece of the batter and add to the oil, if it sizzles, the fritters are ready to be cooked. Fry a few fritters (don't overcrowd) in the oil until golden on both sides. The fritters are FRAGILE so be patient and forgiving if they don't look perfect - they won't and that's okay.
- Serve the fritters with the dressing, smoked trout, chilli oil and limes on the side. To me, the perfect breakfast or lunch!
