Chickpea & Corn Fritters

Yesterday after work I decided to combine an errand – picking up Leela from doggie daycare -  with my scheduled 10-miler run.  The idea was to run from work, pick up Leela, then run home. 

I was excited for a step back week and an “easy” run.  Unfortunately things did not go to plan. 

Mistake 1 – not packing fuel (water or food).  It was cooler than it has been, but certainly hotter than I anticipated.  I was feeling parched by mile 2.

Mistake 2 – planning a route that is way too hilly.  I’m all about incorporating hills into my training, but for this run it was practically ALL uphill.  Anywhere north of downtown in DC is going to be uphill, but I took it further by running up one of the hilliest neighborhoods.  10 miles uphill = unhappy legs.

Mistake 3 – thinking the dog would have energy to run home.  I picked her up around mile 7.5-8.  She did well for the first mile or so but she was too tuckered out and kept stopping.  One of my miles with her was over a 12 minute/mi pace.  She’s in very good shape, but usually naps most of the day and as far as I can tell she doesn’t sleep at all at daycare. 

All in all, I’m happy I got it out of the way for the weekend (@9:41pace overall).  However, when I got home I felt nauseous for over an hour and had to lay in bed.  I’ve actually never felt nauseous like that from running.  Have you ever experienced nausea post-exercise?  Any idea of what the cause is?  From what I googled, it could have been heat exhaustion or the beginning of dehydration.

Anyways, after I felt recovered enough I played in the kitchen.  I made Neil some burgers with the beef from the farmers market.  I also experimented with a fritter idea inspired by Top Chef DC this week.

Chickpea & Corn Fritters

Ingredients

• 1 cup of chickpeas
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 ear of corn
• Salt, pepper, spices
• 1/3 cup of panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tbsp oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*.  Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray.
2. Cook corn.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add corn and cook for six minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine chickpeas, roasted red pepper, and S&P in food processor.  Blend until smooth.
4. Add any preferred spices (I used Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper) and whole wheat flour.  Blend for another minute.  Move to a medium mixing bowl.
5. Cut kernels off corn and incorporate into chickpea mixture.
6. Put panko crumbs on a small plate. 
7. Take chickpea mixture, and form small balls, about 1.5” in diameter.  Roll each ball in the panko crumbs and place on baking sheet.
8. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
9. Heat oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat.  Remove fritters from oven and put into hot pan, until browned on all sides.

They are delightfully crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Plus the corn kernels add even more delicious texture.  I ate them plain.  I think they would be really delicious as part of a vegetarian sub.  Or simply served with toothpicks as an appetizer if you are having guests.

Nutritional Information ( for 2 servings):

Calories – 307.1    Fat – 6.0g     Carbs – 55.2g     Fiber – 9.4g     Protein – 11.0g