Falafel Frenzy

Falafel, pita and hummus... three of my favorite things on a plate.  Of course traditional deep fried falafel is great but definitely not healthy.  Luckily I've finally created my own recipe for baked falafel which also happens to be vegan as well.  These will freeze well too so you can always have some ready to go!  Also see below for my favorite healthy store-bought falafel.

Printer Friendly

Makes 10 patties

Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup of diced onion
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley
1 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1-2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mash chickpeas in a bowl with fork until it's a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

Add garlic, onion and parsley to food processor and process until finely chopped and combined.

Next add the mashed chickpeas to food processor along with tahini, bread crumbs, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper. Process until combined, adding the water 1-2 Tbsp of water as needed. You may need to scrape down the sides with a spatula in between processing.

Once combined, empty into large bowl. Add the flour and mix, you should be able to form into large ball. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add a Tbsp of water. If it's too wet, add an additional Tbsp of flour.

Form into 10 small patties (approximately 2 inches). Place on baking sheet lightly greased with olive oil or cooking spray. Bake for 5-6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Nutrition Info (2 patties): 96 calories, 3g fat, 6g fiber, 5g protein







Store Bought Falafel

My new favorite and top pic is by Falafel Republic.  These are very tasty and are also gluten-free and dairy-free. They get nice and crispy when cooked in the toaster making them a good substitute for the traditional fried falafel.  I've spotted these at Giant but the website also has a store locator.

My second pick is the Olive Valley falafel sticks.  These have a pretty good flavor and crisp up pretty well in the toaster.  They're also pretty low in calories and fat.  They also make them in round patties but those are uncooked so you would have to fully bake or fry them.  These guys were spotted at Whole Foods with the frozen foods.

Mashed Faux-tato

After hearing for a long time that cauliflower made a good substitute for mashed potatoes, I gave it try.  A little skeptical?  Of course.  But oh boy did that mashed cauliflower prove me wrong.  The texture is obviously less starchy, but close enough.  I also threw in some crushed garlic for added deliciousness!

Printer Friendly

Serves 2

1 bag cauliflower florets (or 1/2 head)
2 tsp Earth Balance vegan butter
1/2 tsp jarred crushed or minced garlic or 1 frozen garlic cube
Salt and pepper to taste

Fill a medium to large pot with water and bring to boil.  Break up the large cauliflower florets in smaller pieces as this will help it soften faster.  Then add to boiling water and cook for 15 minutes.  Cauliflower should be tender and break apart easily.  Drain and reserve some of the water (1/2 - 1 cup is fine).   Return cauliflower to pot, add vegan butter, garlic, salt, pepper and a little of the reserved water.  Blend with an immersion blender, adding water as necessary to reach desired consistency.  Alternatively you can also blend in a food processor.

This will make approximately 2-3 cups depending on how much water you add.   I only used about 1/4 cup so that it had a thicker consistency.

Nutrition info (1/2 recipe): 84 calories, 3g fat, 5g fiber, 4g protein