Yasemin's Kitchen

Mediterranean Recipes with a Turkish Flair

Quinoa Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans

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Quinoa Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans (Nohutlu Kinoa Pilavı)

OK, I admit I did not know what quinoa was until just a few years ago. But then, who did? I was trying to stay away from white rice and was very proud to use bulgur (cracked wheat) as an alternative for pilafs. After all, bulgur is whole wheat and has low glycemic index, it was all good. Since I add vegetables and garbanzo beans to it, I was very happy to cook nutritious bulgur pilafs. That is until we all learned about gluten and what it could do to our bodies, our brains. Naturally, I got myself a bag of “organic quinoa” and cooked it exactly per the directions on the bag. It was soggy and pretty much tasteless. My husband’s comment was “this is bird food, why did you cook it?“. I had to experiment with the way I cooked it. First lesson to learn was “not to follow the instructions” on the bag. You actually need less water than they tell you to cook with. I wanted enhance the taste, so I added lots of onions, bell peppers and garbanzo beans, black pepper and turmeric and voila! The result was a delicious alternative to rice and bulgur pilafs. Now all of my family (including the hubby) are not only used to it, but they actually like it a lot. This is a very simple recipe, but it will make quinoa an everyday dish on your table. Enjoy!

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Freekeh Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans

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Freekeh Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans

Firik (freekeh) pilaf is from the Southeastern part of Turkey. It is an ancient dish originated around 2300 BC in the Middle East . Most commonly it is cooked with lamb, however, often it is cooked as a pilaf to accompany other meat dishes like lamb, beef or chicken. Firik (or freekeh, frikeh, farik) is a grain made from young, green wheat. Wheat grains are harvested while wheat is still full of moisture, soft and green. It is sun dried before being burned or roasted over an open fire. This process burns the straw and chaff around the grains, however, high moisture content of the seeds protects the grains from burning. The process gives the grain a nutty, smoky flavor. The grains look like bulgur (cracked wheat), expect they are green. It is high in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Typically in Turkey, freekeh pilaf is made with 2 parts freekeh, 1 part bulgur so that the smokey flavor of the freekeh is not over powering the flavor of the dish.

Thanks to uncle Meray for the recipe. I cherish his wonderful lessons on Antep and Kilis specialities when his contagious passion for family and food shapes memories of a lifetime for me.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup green Firik (Freekeh, Frikeh, Farik)
  • ½ cup size 4 (coarse) bulgur
  • ½ cup onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 1/2 cups boiling water (or chicken or beef broth)
  • 8 ounces cooked garbanzo beans
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tea spoon crushed red pepper for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Place freekeh on a tray. Remove any chaff or straw mixed with grain. Add bulgur to it. Rinse and drain, set aside. Rinse garbanzo beans, drain and set them aside as well.
Finely chop onions. Place olive oil in a pot, sauté onions in oil over medium heat until onion pieces are translucent. Add boiling water (or broth). Add mixed grains and salt to the pot. When it starts to boil, cover the pot with a lid, reduce heat to slow and let it simmer until grains are cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Add garbanzo beans and black pepper, gently stir and remove from heat. Serve hot. Sprinkle crushed red pepper on the pilaf (optional).
Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!
 
Remove chaff  (long, brown grains in the picture) from the freekeh
Chopped onions
Canned garbanzo beans are used 
Coarse bulgur
Freekeh and bulgur mixture 
Sautéed onions
Grains added, simmering in the pot 
Cooked freekeh pilaf
Freekeh pilaf with garbanzo beans

Garbanzo Balls – Nohut Köftesi

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Garbanzo Balls

 

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (dry or canned)
    If you are going to use dry garbanzo beans, you need to soak them overnight! (see pictures below)
  • 2 table spoons tahini (sesame paste)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 table spoons all purpose flour
  • 1 medium/large onion, grated
  • 1 medium/large carrot, grated
  • 4 table spoons sunflower seeds
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 table spoon dried oregano leaves
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • Salt to taste
  • Vegetable oil to fry
Yogurt sauce:
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic, mashed
  • 1-2 table spoons water
  • Salt to taste
Directions:
If you are using dry garbanzo beans, you need to prepare ahead. Soak them overnight. In a large pan, boil 5-6 cups of water, add soaked, drained garbanzo beans. Simmer until beans are tender. Drain and set aside. Cooked garbanzo beans freeze well, so you can cook them in large batches to save for later use.

If you are using canned beans, rinse and drain first, set aside.
Prepare yogurt sauce first since it needs to be chilled. In a small bowl, mix yogurt and crushed garlic, add water to obtain desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Place cooked garbanzo beans and tahini in a food processor. Pulse a few times. Add water and pulse until smooth. It does not need to be creamy smooth. Place the mixture in a bowl. Add flour and mix well with a spoon. Add grated onion, carrots, sunflower seeds, herbs and spices to the mixture. Knead the mixture well for a few minutes, set aside.

Place vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat it over medium/high heat. Take a spoonful of the mixture, slide the mixture into the hot oil. Repeat this until you have a pan full of paddies, making sure they don’t touch each oher. Fry until golden brown. Flip and fry the other side. Place fried garbanzo balls on a paper towel to drain the extra oil. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve with yogurt sauce drizzled over the garbanzo balls.
Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!
Dry garbanzo beans soaked in water
Garbanzo beans soaked overnight ready to be cooked
Grated carrots
Onions, sunflower seeds, herbs and spices
Garbanzo beans – tahini mixture
Flour added to the mixture
All ingredients are mixed together
Spoonful of the mixture before dropped into hot oil
Garbanzo balls frying in oil
Garbanzo balls
Garbanzo Balls with Yogurt

Arugula Salad with Tuna and Roasted Eggplants – Ton Balıklı Roka Salatası

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Tuna Salad with Arugula and Roasted Eggplants
Ingredients:
  • 1 5 oz can of Solid Tuna in water
  • 1+3 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ cup cooked garbanzo beans
  • ·         2 small to medium Japanese eggplants
  • 1-2 cups fresh Arugula leaves
  • 1 slice of goat cheese or feta cheese
  • Crushed red pepper (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
If you use canned garbanzo beans, drain well. In a non-stick pan sauté garbanzo beans in 1 table spoon of olive oil for 3 minutes, set aside.
Drain tuna well. In a small bowl, mix remaining 3 table spoons of olive oil and lemon juice.  Add 1 table spoon of this dressing to tuna, mix well. Add black pepper (optional) to your taste. Set aside.
Wash and dry eggplants. Peel  portions of the skin lengthwise, leaving it with a striped look. Cut the eggplants in half and cut each peace into thin slices. Roast eggplant slices on a grill until they are tender.
Wash arugula leaves. Cut them into bite size pieces. Place the leaves on a serving plate. Drizzle the olive oil-lemon juice dressing over the arugula leaves. Put tuna on top of it. Add garbanzo beans and the slice of cheese to the plate. Sprinkle crushed red pepper (optional), salt and pepper to your taste.
Peeled and sliced eggplants
Roased eggplant slices
Roasted garbanzo beans
Tuna Salad with Arugula and Roasted Eggplants
Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Garbanzo Bean Dip with Cumin and Dill

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Garbanzo Bean Dip with Cumin and Dills

This is a dip similar to hummus, except that it does not have tahini (sesame paste) in it. Not having sesame paste in it, this version is lighter than hummus. Cumin and fresh dill gives its special taste. It goes great with pita bread wedges.

Ingredients:

  • 1 15 oz can organic garbanzo beans
  • 2 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 table spoons lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1/2 cup fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon paprika or hot chili powder, or a mixture of the two
  • Salt to taste
  • Olives, slices of tomoto and a few sprigs of dill or parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Drain garbanzo beans. In a food processor combine all ingredients, puree well until it is a smooth paste. Add 1/4 cup more water if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with olives, slices of tomotoes and sprigs of fresh dill or parsley.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

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Yasemin Ari

I love cooking, especially cooking with friends and family.

I believe that some of the best conversations take place around the kitchen counter... [Read More]