Monday, May 7, 2012

Baked Falafel and Lemon-Tahini Dressing

A friend sent me this recipe from SparkRecipes, a collection of healthy recipes.  So happy I bookmarked it!  If you like Falafel but think it's too much trouble, think again!  Not only is it simple and healthy, the dressing is worthy of it's own post.  Don't worry, I won't make you wait...the recipe for Lemon-Tahini Dressing is also listed below!

Baked Falafel

Use all chickpeas if you don't have fava beans. If you use canned beans, the sodium levels will be higher so omit the salt.

Makes 12
Ingredients
1 cup cooked fava beans
1 cup cooked chickpeas
3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
handful fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 t baking powder
2 T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
1 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 T olive oil
 
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the beans in a food processor and pulse until they are crumbled but not mushy. Add the garlic, onions, lemon juice and zest, spices, parsley, baking powder, salt and pepper.  Pulse until just combined. Transfer to a bowl and add flour as needed. The mixture should stick together but not be dry. Depending on the texture of your beans, you might need to add more or less flour.

Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet. Form mixture into balls or patties, each slightly larger than a golf ball (just less than 1/4 cup each).

Bake 20 minutes, flip and bake another 15 minutes, until falafel are browned on both sides and crispy on the outside.

Serve with lemon-tahini dressing. Serving size is one ball, but feel free to eat more than one!

Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Ingredients
1/2 cup tahini
3 lemons, juiced and zested
1 T toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 scallions, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 t sriracha (hot sauce--optional)
up to 1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth, adding water one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Each serving is one tablespoon.

2 comments:

  1. Very cool! Being from the Middle East, falafel are a staple in our house, but I always feel guilty because they're fried. I've heard of baked falafel, but they're never looked as beautiful as yours do in the pic! Thanks for sharing, I'm pinning this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanx for stopping by. I had a hard time getting the mixture just right. In the end they turned out great and are much healthier than the fried variety.

    ReplyDelete

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