I’ve Falafel In Love

Sometimes, a balanced diet is food that you can hold in both hands. Like this falafel. Yes it’s fried and yes that’s why it’s oh so crispy ‘n good. Could you bake them? Sure. But should you? No. These are just as good on a pita as they are atop a bowl of greens. Get the dEATs below.

Oftentimes dishes with beans can be a bit…mushy. I don’t often fry foods, but when I do, it’s for good reason. Frying these little discs of pinto beans provides the perfect exterior crunch. I use canola oil, which often gets a bad rap. It’s actually the best oil for cooking (vs finishing) because of the neutral taste and high smoke point. Why does smoke point matter? Because if you heat an oil beyond it’s smoke point, it starts to get rancid and loses a lot of its good-for-you compounds. One of those good-for-you compounds is omega 3 fat ALA (alpha linoleic). Canola oil can offer heart healthy benefits, such as lowering bad “LDL” cholesterol. For more on the benefits of canola oil, check out this article from Cooking Light.

These falafel have a tex mex flair with cilantro and crushed blue corn chips to add some additional crunch and hold together the patties. The patties come together in just a few minutes with 7 ingredients: pinto beans, blue corn tortilla chips, sliced green onions, Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, cumin and an egg. Cutting up herbs is always my pet peeve and for many years, I avoided recipes with fresh herbs because I hated spending the tedious time to chop or pick off the leaves. The world turned a new leaf when I discovered two hacks 1.) the food processor and 2.) a kitchen shears. Since this recipe only requires a couple of tablespoons of fresh herbs, I used my kitchen shears to “chop” the green onions and cilantro. It’s a game changer.

The next step is forming the mixture into small balls or discs. I found that the mixture holds together a little better in a meatball shape and retains more of the soft interior, but is also a bit more cumbersome to cook evenly. My husband prefers meatball-style, but I prefer flat discs, which are crisper and easier to cook because it only requires one flip. You could also form larger patties for more of a sandwich, but you’ll want to be careful when flipping to ensure the patties remain whole.

I paired my falafel with a dairy-free and paleo tzatziki sauce. While I’m not lactose intolerant, I try to limit the amount of milk-based products that I eat and have found that for me personally, it’s helped to clear up my skin. The base of this creamy tzatziki is coconut cream, seasoned with fresh cucumbers, dill, lemon juice and garlic. It’s best to allow this mixture to thicken for an hour in the fridge; this also allows the flavors to meld together.

Falafel with Paleo Tzatziki Sauce
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Falafel
1 (15 oz) can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 C of finally crushed blue corn tortilla chips
1/2 C Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 T sliced green onions (green parts)
1 T cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1 egg
Canola oi for frying

Tzatziki Sauce
1 (14 oz) can of coconut cream
1 seedless cucumber, diced
2 T fresh lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp onion powder
3 T fresh dill, chopped
Salt, to taste
Optional Fixings
1 pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 carton of pea shoots
4 slices of pita bread (if making a gyro-style sandwich)
Greens (if make a salad)

Directions:

Step 1: Make the patties by placing the pinto beans in a medium bowl. Mash to your desired consistency, then add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Shape the mixture into 12-16 balls or discs an inch or 2 in diameter.

Step 2: Cook the falafel by heating 1/2 inch of canola oil in a fry pan over the stop top on medium heat until it sizzles when a few drops of water are added. Careful, it will splatter! Turn down the heat if it splatters too much. Add the balls or discs to the fry pan, flipping as appropriate every 2-3 minutes until a crust forms on the exterior.

Step 3: Prepare the tzatziki by placing the coconut milk in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, if not overnight to thicken and amplify the flavor.

Step 4: Assemble the pita sandwiches or salad with your favorite fixings. I’ve eaten these both gyro-style and as a salad, with generally three falafel per serving.

Recipes adapted from MyRecipes.com and Jay’s Baking Me Crazy.

These are easy to prepare at the beginning of the week and eat for lunches or dinners throughout! While I haven’t froze them, I imagine you could freeze and re-heat in a toaster oven.