OMG, yummy healthy falafels...

[Guest guest]

I just made these for dinner and I am gobbling them down as I type...I

didn't make either of the sauces, and discovered I had no yogurt,

cukes, or anything resembling such to make a topping with... so I'm

eating them with a bit of lowfat ranch dressing. They are a little

spicy, but oh-so-good!!

 

Oh, and I didn't have any pita. I used a slice of Ezekiel bread, and

added about a tbsp of lemon juice as it was a little dry, probably due

to the different bread.

 

 

http://www.grahamkerr.com/recipes/index.php?date=0404

Baked Falafel and Pita

 

Falafel is the fast food of choice throughout the Middle East. Because

of the ease of cooking, it is usually deep fried but can also be

baked. Baking, of course, is likely to be met with a snort of derision

by locals but it does help the classic 20 grams of fat reach a more

reasonable 10 grams, When served with the optional relish and yogurt

sauce, it makes a wonderful lunch at just on 500 calories. The sauce,

by the way, is incredibly good!

 

Serves 4 (with a half pita and two falafel with lots of sauce and garnish)

 

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked garbanzo beans, soaked over night or 2 cups canned reduced-

sodium garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, trimmed and sliced

2 cloves garlic, bashed and chopped

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

5 pieces whole wheat pita bread, 1 torn into pieces, the rest left whole

 

Relish (optional)

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and cut into ½ " pieces

1 cup chopped unpeeled English cucumber

¼ cup chopped green onion

1 serrano chile, minced with seeds

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

 

Sauce (optional)

2 ounces soft goat cheese

1 cup plain low fat yogurt

1/8 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/8 teaspoon salt

 

 

Directions

1. Pulse the beans, onions, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, baking

powder, soda, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and torn pita, in a food

processor or blender until they hold together. The paste should have

texture. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

2. While the mix is resting, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion,

chile, parsley, and, lemon juice and set aside. Mash the goat cheese

into the yogurt with the back of a spoon until smooth. Stir in the

garlic and salt and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 & #61616;F (180 & #61616;C). Make the bean

mixture into

16

equal patties. Bake on a greased cookie sheet 10 minutes.

4. Cut the pitas in half; place two patties in each and spoon in the

relish and sauce. If you're in a hurry, you can use sliced tomatoes

and cucumbers instead of the relish and plain low-fat yogurt instead

of the sauce.

 

 

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 504 calories, 10 g. fat, 3 g. saturated fat, 5% calories

from saturated fat, 86 g. carbohydrates, 17g. fiber, 942 mg. Sodium.

The relish and sauce are included in these numbers.

 

Classic per serving: 612 calories, 27 g. fat, 2 g. saturated fat, 3%

calories from saturated fat, 80 g. carbohydrates, 16 g. fiber, 1069

mg. sodium