Make These Healthy and Delicious Oven-“Fried” Falafels in No Time at All
For many of us, 2017 was a doozy, but we here at Brit + Co are ready to hit refresh in 2018! Follow our Hit Refresh series through January for new ideas, hacks, and skills that will help you achieve (and maintain!) those New Year’s resolutions.
When it comes to street food guilty pleasures, falafel ranks pretty high, with its deep-fried fritters stuffed into a warm pita and drizzled with rich sauces. But did you know you can make this popular vegetarian-friendly Middle Eastern dish even healthier? Forget the deep fryer and try baking some up in the oven for a low-calorie, gut-healthy lunch that's sure to satisfy.
Ingredients:2 15-ounce cans cooked chickpeas
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley
4 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Rinse and drain chickpeas and put them in your food processor. Add onions, parsley, garlic, cumin, Kosher salt, red chili flakes, and baking powder.
Roll the lemon on your cutting board or a hard surface first to help squeeze more juice out of it. Add the juice of one whole lemon to the mixture.
Pulse or process the ingredients in 30-second intervals until the mixture is coarse, being careful to not over mix.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and gently brush about one tablespoon of olive oil onto your baking sheet.
Using a scoop, portion dough into roughly two-tablespoon-sized balls and then flatten into disks. Place on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Halfway through baking, brush the tops of the falafel with the remaining olive oil and then use a spatula to gently flip the falafel. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the falafel are crisp and golden brown.
Lemon and Dill Greek Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients:1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon fresh dill
1 Tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Instructions:
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together.
Serve these heart-healthy, oven-baked falafel on top of butter lettuce leaf wraps with the sauce and your favorite DIY quick pickles. It makes a delicious meal that just so happens to be good for your gut!
For many of us, 2017 was a doozy, but we here at Brit + Co are ready to hit refresh in 2018! Follow our Hit Refresh series through January for new ideas, hacks, and skills that will help you achieve (and maintain!) those New Year’s resolutions.
For more healthy recipes, follow us on Pinterest!
For many of us, 2017 was a doozy, but we here at Brit + Co are ready to hit refresh in 2018! Follow our Hit Refresh series through January for new ideas, hacks, and skills that will help you achieve (and maintain!) those New Year’s resolutions.
For many of us, 2017 was a doozy, but we here at Brit + Co are ready to hit refresh in 2018! Follow our Hit Refresh series through January for new ideas, hacks, and skills that will help you achieve (and maintain!) those New Year’s resolutions.
For more healthy recipes, follow us on Pinterest!
(Photos via Nicole Iizuka)
