Homemade Falafel

Today was quite busy. I prefer a lazy Sunday, but sometimes exceptions are made. I was feeling pretty frazzled near the end, which is probably why I forgot to take pics of my Falafel.

It was my first attempt and I have to say it was a big hit. I will be making this again really soon, so I'll have pictures then. I researched recipes and combined features of several to come up with this:

1 can garbanzo beans/chick peas

3 T flour

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 T minced garlic

1/4 c minced parsley

1-2 T minced cilantro

1 T lemon juice

1 T olive oil

1 t cumin

1 t corriander

1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes

1 t baking poweder

salt & pepper

My hubby mashed the beans for me. After failing with a fork and potato masher, he used my hand blender and that worked OK. I think I may have finally convinced him that we should invest in a nice food processor. Anyway, after adding everything except the salt and pepper, we mixed it by hand until combined. I then tasted it, hubby was scared, and added salt and pepper to taste. We used a small cookie dough scoop to make balls of the mixture and placed them on a cookie sheet.

OK, the next part varies depending on how you like the falafel. You can bake them at 400 degrees for about 20 min or until nicely browned. They hold up pretty well, but won't compare to the crispiness of the ones from the restaurants. I sautéed some in olive oil, turning as they browned. They were crispier with this method, but turning was delicate. I used long chop sticks to do it. I then deep fried some at 350 degrees. These were perfect, crispy on the outside fluffy on the inside. Just a note. I would fry next time. Sauteing in the pan absorbed more oil than what was used in the fryer. It was also way more satisfying. Plus, I ended up only eating 4 or 5 balls, with a huge salad, & whole wheat pita. I think it worked out well. If I was eating these all the time, baking might be the way to go. This recipe made about 25 balls.

Tahini Sauce

Nothing special here, but it was delicious. I add salt to taste, since it seems to vary what is needed. I also add lots of water and stopped when it is the consistency I want. We like it pretty thin, so we can drizzle it. You can add as much or as little water as you like.

1/2 C Tahini paste

juice of 1 med lemon

2 T finely minced parsley

2-3 T minced garlic

1-2 T olive oil

My daughter (13) actually made the sauce tonight. She used the hand blender to make it smooth.

My hubby actually used a leftover tortilla and made a wrap with his. Looked good!