Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Time is the missing ingredient in our recipes and our lives so take time and make Falafel with Tahini  Sauce.  Remember the industry doesn’t feed us nature feeds us.  To eat healthier food, you may need to change some of your daily habits.  Try Falafel a street healthy food.  Falafel recipe in 3 ways.

Falafel a golden-brown croquettes that are slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and moist from the inside serve with pita pocket, or with tahini sauce.

Falafel Recipe
12 Large Falafel Balls or 24 Small Falafel Balls
1 cup dried Garbanzo beans/chickpeas (soak in water overnight)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped Italian Parsley
1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp organic baking soda
2 tbsp almond flour, add more if needed
2 tsp lemon juice or Zest of 1/2 lemon

Grape seed oil for frying

Drain chickpeas, and place in pan with fresh water, and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour. Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Combine all the ingredient in the food processor, mix well. Transfer in a bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Shape them into a small ball (use your ice-cream scoop)

Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-7 minutes).  Serve with Tahini Sauce.

 Tahini Sauce

 1/2 cup of light colored seeds
 organic Tahini
 1-2 clove finely crushed garlic
 Pinch of salt
 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
 1 tbsp organic olive oil
 Garnish sumac and parsley



Add all the ingredients in a bowl and add enough warm water to achieve the desired consistency until you have it perfect. Wrap it and refrigerate for a couple of hours.  
Garnish with sumac or Paprika and parsley.

Enjoy! serve with slice cut up lemons, and as a sandwich with pita bread, parsley, tomatoes, pickles and cucumbers.

Leaving Cyprus, one stop into Egypt and on our way to Africa.  My dad, sister and I in the middle, waiting to be served Falafel with Hummus.  One of my favorite dish!

Falafel

Falafel a powerful Mediterranean flavor bean patty packed with fresh herbs and spices.  Stuffed with pita bread, as an appetizer or on a salad.

Prep time 1 hour 30 mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serving 7 –  2 Falafel each

Ingredients

2 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinse and drained
1/4 red onion
1 handful fresh parsley (about 1/4 bunch)
1 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Chickpea or garbanzo bean flour
1/4 cup olive oil for frying

Preparation

Rinse and drain the chickpeas in a colander. Add the chickpeas to a food processor along with the red onion, parsley, cilantro, salt, cayenne, garlic and cumin (all ingredients except baking powder and flour). Process the mixture until it for a chunky paste. A little texture to the mixture is usually desirable. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure the mixture is an even texture.

Place the mixture into a bowl and stir in the baking powder. Begin adding flour, 2 tbsp at a time, until the mixture becomes cohesive enough to form into patties. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.

Using a small measuring cup or scoop (1/8th cup or 2 Tbsp), for a the falafel dough into small patties. The patties can be transferred to an air-tight container or freezer bag for long-term storage once they have frozen through. Use a parchment lined baking sheet so they can freeze without sticking together.

To cook the fresh or frozen patties, heat oil in a skillet (or pot if deep frying) until very hot and shimmering, but not smoking. Cook the patties on each side until deep golden brown and crispy. Serve with tahini sauce, Tzatziki sauce, hummus or stuffed into a pita bread with cut up tomatoes, cucumber and your choice of sauce, or serve them in a plate of fruit, vegetables, cracker, and tahini sauce.

Here’s a great video how to make Falafel