Falafel

Growing up, my mom used to make Falafel on a regular basis for us, and it was one of my favorites!  Vivek is also a big fan, so we make it often, usually using the store bought falafel mix.  This time, I wanted to try to make the falafel balls from scratch according to a recipe that is in the new cook book that my mom gave me.  They turned out to be delicious in taste, but a little wet in consistency.  I think next time, I will let the mixture sit out to dry a bit before baking them.

We ate the falafel balls with pita, lettuce and cucumber from our CSA box, tomatoes, a sesame yogurt chutney, and some garlic chili sauce.  This dish is so tasty, and it's pretty low in calories!

Recipe for Falafel

INGREDIENTS
1 can chick peas
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 onion
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
10 pickled jalepenos
1/2 tsp salt
Pita
Lettuce
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Garlic chili sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put chick peas, cilantro, onion, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth.  Let rest for 30 minutes to one hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Form the falafel mixture into ping pong-sized balls, and slightly flatten.  Put the balls onto a greased baking dish and drizzle olive oil over the falafel balls.  Bake for 15 minutes on each side, until browned.

3. To make the sesame yogurt chutney, first put the sesame seeds into a blender and blend until seeds are a fine powder consistency.  Then add yogurt, jalepenos, and salt and blend until smooth.

4. To assemble the sandwich, cut the pitas in half.  Fill the pita pockets with lettuce, falafel balls, cucumber, and tomatoes and then drizzle with the sesame yogurt chutney and garlic chili sauce.