I have been far more successful planning meals lately; this was one of my myriad of New Year's resolutions. We found another winner this past week, and it will be on the weekly rotation. I made Falafel, and yes, from scratch. Meat has been almost completely eradicated from our diet, and has been replaced by beans. Beans are cheap, easy, healthy and a great protein source. Protein is a major focus for us to aid in muscle repair after rock climbing.
Falafel
1 1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup fresh parsley
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp olive oil - for cooking
Garnish:
4 Pita Pockets
4 Lettuce leaves
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
GreekYogurt
More chopped garlic
Cucumber
1. Boil a large pot of water. Add the garbanzos and cook until slightly softened, but still very firm in the middle. About 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
2. Using a food processor: combine beans, onion, garlic and parsley. Process until coarsely pureed. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the baking powder, salt , cumin and red pepper flakes. Chill until cold - about an hour.
3. Shapes mixture into patties - about 1/4 cup each. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook until browned about 4-6 minutes on each side.
4. Mix up the yogurt with chopped cucumber and garlic. This part depends on your taste! Add some pepper.
5. Stuff each pita with lettuce, a falafel patty, tomato and the yogurt mixture.
We love the garlic yogurt mixture, so I make a lot of it! We also think that the cucumber really makes the mix.
I made the garbanzo mixture the night before and left it in the fridge. It was totally delic!
Enjoy!
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