Healthier falafels

I have changed my falafel recipe up a bit.  In the past, I was sautéing them in a pan.  Since they are dipped in panko crumbs, the olive oil was soaked up somewhat when they were sautéed, and that made me hesitant to make them very often at all.  They were good, but it took more olive oil than I was comfortable with ingesting.  I decided to try baking them instead.

I also made some other changes to my recipe, including increasing the spices.  I had some at a Middle Eastern restaurant a week earlier, and theirs were much spicier than mine, so I knew I needed to step it up in the spice area. 
The last time I made them at home, I had wished that they were just a little less dry.  I simply added a couple tablespoons of vegetable broth, and that problem was resolved. 


I wanted to check out how much difference it would make between sautéing them and baking them, so before I cooked them, I just sautéed one patty in olive oil and baked one patty.  The sautéed patty took half as long to cook and looked better, but once they are put in the oven, it doesn't really matter if they take 20 minutes

instead of 10 minutes.  That time can be used putting together the rest of the meal, or having a glass of kombucha. 

FALAFEL

 2 ¼ cups cooked chickpeas

3 scallions, coarsely chopped
1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
¾ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp. Bangkok seasoning, optional
¼ cup packed coarsely chopped parsley
¼ cup packed coarsely chopped cilantro
1 egg or egg substitute
1 lemon, juiced
kosher salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1/3 cup flour
2-3 Tbsp. vegetable broth
½ cup panko crumbs
cooking spray, olive oil preferred, (such as Pam)

In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher, leaving some texture, (bits of chickpeas).  Stir in the  scallions, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, Bangkok seasoning, parsley, cilantro, egg or egg substitute, lemon juice, and salt to taste. 

Add in the baking powder and flour and stir to combine.  Add the vegetable broth, a little at a time, until there is a bit of moisture to the ingredients.  Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.    

Remove the chickpea mixture from the refrigerator.  Drop spoonfuls of the chickpea mixture onto a plate with the panko crumbs and press gently into patties.  I like the patties to be about 1 ½ inches in diameter.   Place the

patties onto a sheet pan which has been sprayed with the cooking spray.  Then spray the top of the patties also with the cooking spray.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, flipping them over once.  If more browning is desired, turn the broiler on to brown the tops a bit more.

NOTE:  Can be served on top of a salad.  Our favorite way to serve them is in a pita.  Half the pita bread and stuff with your choice of:

Falafel patties

Tomatoes, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Beets, diced
Dill pickles, diced
Lettuce, shredded
Honey mustard dressing or tzatziki sauce

I was really expecting the sautéed falafel to be far better than the baked one.  However, my husband and I both felt that there was very little difference in the taste of the two.  I will definitely choose baking them from now on.  When I use the cooking spray, I realize that I am still adding oil to the dish, but it is far less oil than the other methods. 

We are going to kick this olive oil/coconut oil habit if it kills us.  (Actually, hopefully it will extend/enhance our health.