To be honest, I LOVE vegetarian cuisine for the most part but I am not a huge fan of falafel, a staple in the diet of several veggie lovers. I'm not sure what it is about the chickpea "fritters" that I am not crazy about. I love chickpeas, ingredients are usually fresh, they aren't super greasy...but when I have the choice, I'd much rather have just the hummus rather than the falafel. So why then did I choose to make falafel for dinner tonight? Well we had all of the ingredients, and I want to develop a taste for these yummy protein veggie balls. And I saw a baked recipe which sounds healthier so I thought - why not! Let's give it a go!
We did about slightly more than a half recipe for this meal - and use canned chickpeas (gasp!) instead of fresh - it's what we had, and on short notice, all you can do!
Baked Falafel with Tatziki Sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, quartered
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or mint (we used mint)
• 2 cups chickpeas
• 1/2 cup plain coarse bread crumbs
• 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as red or green Tabasco)
• Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
• Olive oil for brushing
1.Place garlic, cilantro, parsley or mint, chickpeas, and bread crumbs in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to chop and blend ingredients.
2.Sprinkle 1 tablespoon lemon juice over chickpea mixture and pulse a few more times. Sprinkle baking powder, cumin, salt, Tabasco, and black pepper over mixture and pulse until the chickpea mixture reaches a workable paste-like consistency. Add an additional tablespoon of lemon juice if it seems very dry.
3.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. While the oven is getting hot, line a baking pan with foil and brush with olive oil. Using a large tablespoon or #40 disher (ice cream scoop), scoop balls of dough into your palms and form them into patties. Set aside on work surface while you form the remaining mixture.
4.Arrange falafel patties on oiled baking sheet and brush them with olive oil (you can't be super chinsy here or else they won't brown). Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and crispy. Turn once midway through baking.
5.Remove from oven and let falafel cool on pan for a minute or two before removing to plates or pitas with a spatula.
6.Serve in a whole-grain pita with leaf lettuce and plenty of Tzatziki Sauce.
Tzatziki Sauce
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1/2 cup sour cream (low fat is fine)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (we used cilantro)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 kirby cucumber, peeled and finely diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl; stir to incorporate. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Taste after chilling and adjust seasonings if necessary.
We also served this with the yogurt beet dish that we have made several times before and I have record of in other posts. Just roasted beets, yogurt (use fage), equal parts lemon juice and EVOO, cinnamon, cayenne, parsley (we used cilantro), salt and pepper.
So what is my post-falafel eating view of the dish? I still don't love falafel. It is too dense for me, I think that is the issue. I have had some "lighter" falafel balls that are more appealing but in general, it's a big patty of mashed beans and that is fairly heavy. These had great flavor and I think I really enjoyed one falafel patty, I didn't need the second - at that point I was falafeled-out. Give me a big mound of hummus and I'll be happier.
As for the baking vs. frying? It's a great lower fat approach, that's for sure. The detail I did not yet mention is that the patties did not quite brown during baking - only slightly. To get a more profound "crispness" to the patties, we did end up putting some oil in a pan and pan-frying them for a brief time. Still better than deep frying.
The flavors, as I said, were really nice. It wasn't bad, Derek liked it - it just wasn't as exciting as some meals can be. Plus, I always have the issue with pitas breaking when I stuff them with fillings...I ended up using my fork and knife for the second half of the pita. Would have rather had the falafel patty on top of a bed of lettuce with tomatoes, red onion and tatziki sauce drizzled over top. That would be my kind of meal!
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