Falafel, a traditional Middle Eastern dish, is a delectable treat made from chickpeas or fava beans. These crispy balls are packed with flavor and can be enjoyed on their own or as part of a larger meal. This article presents two tantalizing recipes: Easy Baked Falafel with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce and Falafel Stuffed Pita Pockets.
The Easy Baked Falafel recipe offers a healthier alternative to traditional fried falafel. Chickpeas, herbs, and spices are combined and baked to perfection, resulting in crispy on the outside, tender on the inside falafel balls. The Cucumber Yogurt Sauce provides a refreshing complement to the flavorful falafel, with its creamy texture and tangy flavor.
The Falafel Stuffed Pita Pockets recipe takes the classic falafel experience to the next level. Falafel balls are tucked into pita pockets along with a variety of toppings, including hummus, tahini, and pickled turnips. The combination of flavors and textures in this dish creates a satisfying and unforgettable meal.
Whether you're a falafel enthusiast or looking for a new culinary adventure, these two recipes are sure to delight your taste buds. They are perfect for lunch, dinner, or even as a party appetizer. With their ease of preparation and explosion of flavors, these falafel dishes are sure to become a staple in your kitchen.
BAKED FALAFEL WITH GREEK YOGURT CUCUMBER RAITA
Provided by Eric Greenspan
Time 45m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- For the falafel: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
- Add the chickpeas to a food processor along with the cilantro, parsley, tahini, sesame seeds, chili powder, coriander, cumin, garlic and egg. Process until a paste is formed. Place in a bowl and add the chickpea flour, a little at a time, mixing just to incorporate. Mix in the lemon zest and juice. Using a small cookie scoop, form balls and evenly space on the baking sheet. Lightly press the falafel balls, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake until crispy, around 20 minutes.
- For the raita yogurt sauce: Pulse the cucumbers, mint and garlic in a food processor a few times, then add the yogurt and puree. Season to taste with salt.
- Serve the falafel garnished with a dollop of raita.
EASY BAKED FALAFEL WITH CUCUMBER-YOGURT SAUCE
Try this Middle Eastern sandwich of chickpea and spice 'meatballs,' which are actually falafel that are oven-fried to keep their calorie count down. Serve with grilled pita wedges or pita pockets, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and cucumber slices.
Provided by Wyome
Categories Main Dish Recipes Sandwich Recipes
Time 1h
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Coat a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray and 1 tablespoon olive oil and place inside the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). C
- Combine chickpeas, onion, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes, and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse until minced but not yet pasty. Transfer to a bowl and stir in flour and egg until fully incorporated.
- Remove baking pan from the oven. Drop golfball-sized portions of chickpea mixture onto the hot pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven 15 to 20 minutes. Brush falafel with remaining olive oil and flip over. Continue baking until golden on both sides, 15 to 20 minutes more.
- Meanwhile, combine yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, and garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Serve falafel with yogurt sauce.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 249.8 calories, Carbohydrate 29.4 g, Cholesterol 46.5 mg, Fat 11.5 g, Fiber 4.3 g, Protein 8.2 g, SaturatedFat 2.7 g, Sodium 586.6 mg, Sugar 2.4 g
FALAFELS WITH YOGURT-DILL SAUCE
These falafels are packed with flavor! Your family will love them! Wrap in tortilla and top with yogurt sauce. Add other toppings such as tomatoes, lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese.
Provided by sonia
Categories Appetizers and Snacks Beans and Peas
Time 45m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Combine chickpeas, 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, red potato, red onion, garlic, egg, 1 tablespoon olive oil, cilantro, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, cumin, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
- Form mixture into 2-inch patties. Place 1/4 cup panko crumbs in a shallow bowl. Gently press patties into the crumbs to coat.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry patties in the hot oil until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Set patties aside.
- Stir yogurt, dill, lemon juice, garlic salt, and white pepper together in a bowl. Serve sauce drizzled over falafels.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 329 calories, Carbohydrate 48.5 g, Cholesterol 50.2 mg, Fat 13 g, Fiber 4.2 g, Protein 12.4 g, SaturatedFat 2.5 g, Sodium 779.7 mg, Sugar 5.5 g
BAKED FALAFEL AND TZATZIKI SAUCE RECIPE BY TASTY
Here's what you need: dried chickpea, water, fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, fresh mint, garlic, onion, paprika, cumin, ground coriander, baking soda, toasted sesame seed, salt, pepper, olive oil, cucumber, greek yogurt, fresh mint, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice
Provided by Gwenaelle Le Cochennec
Categories Snacks
Yield 16 falafels
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Soak the chickpeas in the water for at least one night, ensuring that the chickpeas are fully submerged.
- Drain the chickpeas in a colander. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and add the chickpeas. Cover with more paper towels and let dry for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180 °C).
- Add the dried chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, coriander, mint, 5 cloves of garlic, onion, paprika, 2 teaspoons of cumin, ground coriander, baking soda, toasted sesame seeds, salt and pepper, in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Use your hands to form falafel the size of a ping pong ball.
- Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Brush the falafel with olive oil.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes.
- To prepare the tzatziki, cut a cucumber in fourths and remove the seeds.
- Use a box grater to grate the cucumber into a bowl.
- Salt the grated cucumber and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Place the salted cucumber into a sieve and press down with a spatula to remove excess liquid.
- Mix the grated cucumber with Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of mint, the minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Serve the falafel with the tzatziki.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 153 calories, Carbohydrate 21 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 7 grams, Sugar 5 grams
SEAN'S FALAFEL AND CUCUMBER SAUCE
This is a great recipe for falafel. Everyone that I have made it for loves it. Yum!
Provided by Sean
Categories Main Dish Recipes Sandwich Recipes
Time 1h
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- In a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt, pepper and mayonnaise and mix well. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas.
- In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.
- Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides. Serve two falafels in each pita half topped with chopped tomatoes and cucumber sauce.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 586 calories, Carbohydrate 59.5 g, Cholesterol 50.3 mg, Fat 33.1 g, Fiber 6.7 g, Protein 14.7 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Sodium 1580.1 mg, Sugar 8.1 g
SPICY BAKED FALAFEL WITH TZATZIKI
These well-seasoned baked falafel, with a little bit of heat and accompanied by a cool tzatziki sauce, are good in a pita, on a salad, or just by themselves. Enjoy!
Provided by Bradley Wiles
Categories 100+ Everyday Cooking Recipes Vegetarian
Time 1h40m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- Stir yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic powder, sugar, lemon zest, mint, and dill together in a bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste and refrigerate tzatziki until ready to serve with falafel.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Combine jalapeno peppers, parsley, green onions, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and fully blended. Scrape mixture down and add chickpeas. Pulse several times until just blended and chickpeas are broken up, but texture is still rough; do not overblend. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- Add eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, Greek seasoning, cumin, 1/2 tablespoon salt, paprika, pepper, and chili powder to the chickpea mixture. Stir with a spatula until fully incorporated. Add chickpea flour a few tablespoons at a time and stir; the final mixture should be wet, but not falling apart when handled. Place bowl in the freezer, uncovered, to firm up mixture, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with some olive oil.
- Remove chickpea mixture from freezer and form into 20 to 24 small balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush falafel with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with remaining salt.
- Bake in the preheated oven until falafel are dry and slightly darker brown in color, about 45 minutes. Turn on the broiler and continue baking until tops are crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve with tzatziki.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 381.7 calories, Carbohydrate 40.4 g, Cholesterol 44.3 mg, Fat 19.4 g, Fiber 6.7 g, Protein 13.8 g, SaturatedFat 5.4 g, Sodium 1105.5 mg, Sugar 6.3 g
Tips:
- Use a food processor to quickly and easily chop the parsley, cilantro, and onion.
- If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop the parsley, cilantro, and onion by hand.
- Be sure to drain the chickpeas well before using them. This will help to prevent the falafel from becoming too mushy.
- If you want a crispy falafel, make sure to fry them in hot oil. The oil should be about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve the falafel with your favorite dipping sauce. Some popular choices include tzatziki sauce, hummus, or tahini sauce.
Conclusion:
These easy baked falafel with cucumber yogurt sauce are a delicious and healthy way to enjoy a Middle Eastern classic. They're perfect for a quick and easy meal or as a party appetizer. Plus, they're a great way to get your kids to eat their vegetables!
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