Gluten-Free Chickpea Nuggets
Gluten-Free Chickpea Nuggets
These protein packed, meatless nuggets are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and have great flavor from the addition of fresh garlic, onion, cheddar cheese, and dried herbs. We often make these ahead during meal prep sessions to have them on hand for easy lunches for the week ahead.
Our kiddo has been eating these since he was about a year old, so we can attest to the fact that they are kid-friendly. Whether your household is meat-free or not, we think you’ll enjoy these nuggets as a nice change from the norm. Getting the kids involved in the kitchen is always a good idea to promote healthy habits, and this recipe it perfect for it. Kiddos of all ages can help add ingredients to the food processor, press the buttons, and then help form the nuggets on the baking sheet.
Yield: approximately 15 nuggets
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
2 cloves garlic, peeled (we like a full-flavored variety like Early Red Italian here)
1/4 cup roughly chopped onion
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (either homemade or from one 15oz. can, drained & rinsed)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cooked quinoa*
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (our Thanksgiving Salt or Roasted Garlic & Herb Salt both work well here)
1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1 cup greens, roughly chopped (spinach, Power Greens, or Farmhouse Greens all work well here)**
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place garlic clove into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until minced. Now, add the onion and pulse again until finely chopped.
Add remaining ingredients and process on high until incorporated, stopping to scrap down the sides as needed. The texture will be similar to hummus.
Spoon heaping tablespoonfuls (or larger if you like) onto lined baking sheet about an inch apart.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, turn nuggets over and flatten slightly with a wooden spoon or spatula. Return to the oven and bake 10 minutes more.
Store baked nuggets in the fridge for about 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months (they freeze great!).
NOTES:
*To cook quinoa, boil 1 1/2 cups of water or broth in a small saucepan and add 1 cup of rinsed quinoa. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and keep covered for about 5 minutes. We like doing this earlier in the day to make dinner prep super simple. Cooked quinoa stores in the fridge for a week (at least) or a couple months in the freezer. Extra quinoa can be used in Mama’s Hippie Taco Filling, fritters, soup, salad, eggs, and so many other things!
**Adding greens is totally optional but highly recommended. This can be done two different ways to achieve slightly different results:
One option is to dump the greens in the bowl of the food processor along with everything else and blitz. This will fully incorporate the greens into the mixture, resulting in a green nugget (this way is pictured).
The other option is to add all the ingredients except the greens to the food processor bowl and process until smooth. Then, add the greens and pulse to combine. This results in a golden brown nugget with flecks of green throughout.
