Falafels are vegetarian balls or patties that you can find in most of the Middle Eastern countries. Falafel is a very popular fast food dish around the world, even. It is served either inside a pita pocket (accompanied with salad and yogurt sauce) or with rice, salad or even fries.
Since I’ve been trying to add more vegetarian dishes into my dinner routine, I was really excited to make these! I wanted it to be a full meal so I served them with rice and dinner rolls. It was so delicious! My husband always has his doubts about my vegetarian “experiments”, as he calls them, but this time he was blown away! He even asked me if I could make them again next week – that’s how I can tell this recipe is a winner!
Ingredients
4 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, halved
1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1⁄4 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1⁄2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
vegetable oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pita pockets, warmed
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
sliced onion
Herbed Cucumber Yogurt:
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 kirby cucumber, seeded and chopped
sea salt
pepper
Instructions:
Cucumber Yogurt: Add all ingredients in a bowl; mix well, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Falafel: Add the scallions, garlic, cilantro, and mint to the container of a food processor; pulse until mixture is finely chopped.
Add the chickpeas, breadcrumbs, cumin, baking powder, salt, and Tabasco sauce; continue to pulse until the batter has the consistency of cooked oatmeal.
Lightly oil your hands and form mixture into 4 burger shaped patties.
Spray each patty lightly with cooking spray.
Let the olive oil get hot (but not smoking) in a large skillet over medium heat.
Fry patties for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp.
Serving suggestion: Put cooked patty into warmed pita pocket with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and sliced onions.
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Quick tip: Adjust the amount of Tabasco to your taste.
