Baked Falafel with a Cucumber-Yogurt Salad and Pan-Fried Pita Bread
This dinner was one of those “had a little bit of every flavor” to make my palate and stomach very happy!
This falafel recipe was good, but not fantastic. I don’t think I’d make it again. Next time I might try doughier balls of it. We had some trouble with the patties sticking together. But it definitely tasted great!
I used this recipe from Cooking Light: Baked Falafel. I halved the recipe. I soaked and boiled half a bag of chickpeas yesterday – SO much better than canned – and used those in the recipe. Of course I omitted the green onions and used a handful of spinach instead. I also added about a tbsp of lemon juice and parsley only (didn’t have cilantro). My bulgur never absorbs water well, so I had to squeeze out the water too. Not the best technique.
Here are the crumbling patties before cooking –
But surprisingly they browned beautifully! And we were able to flip them after about 15 minutes of cooking. The raw garlic didn’t cook very well, so it was quite strong, but the flavor of these was great. And each patty was only 80 kcal!
We were going to serve the falafel IN the pita bread with a small amount of yogurt sauce and a spinach salad on the side, but you can see how this meal morphed!
For the cucumber salad, I just used my imagination. About 1/2 a large English cucumber, 1/2 a bag of baby spinach (chopped), some more parsley, about 6 oz of plain yogurt (I used Stoneyfield but Fage would have been nice), dried dill, and half a lemon. And S&P.
It was delicious – and SO fresh and healthy!
Lastly, the pan–fried dough. Yes, it was fried dough and SOOOOOOOOO good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And when I say fried, I really just mean cooked on a griddle – no oil or butter involved).
I made the dough myself this afternoon:
- 50 grams whole wheat flour (slighly less than 1/2 a cup)
- 50 grams bread flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2.5 oz water
- 1/8 tsp yeast
Mix together. Play with like play-dough for 10 minutes. The dough will stick like CRAZY to your fingers. Just keep playing. Sit in warm place for an hour. Then separate into big blobs and put on hot skillet = fried dough. So chewy, so good! Makes 2 doughs, about 170 kcal each. (We’ve made this as “grilled flatbread” before on the grill and it turned out much different – I have no idea why).
All together. More Mightly Leaf ginger tea (I got an extra bag at lunch). I really like this flavor and can easily drink it without sweetener OR milk. Maybe I’ll buy some!?
This dinner was roughly 500 kcal, 16 grams fiber and 24 grams protein.
I totally didn’t need a snack today – that salmon worked wonders!
Got a good amount of my paper done today, but not enough!! Tomorrow I’m here ALL DAY – all three meals!! So excited. And hopefully I’ll knock this paper out.
Suze says
Hey Kath!
A couple of days ago I also made some falafel and used this recipe…
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231755
It is absolutely amazing; hope you consider it the next time you have a craving for Greek!
Tina O. says
I don’t know if I can bring myself to pay $9 for a box of tea no matter how good it is!
Courtney says
Hi Kath!
Can you (and anyone else) recommend a delicious brand of hummus? I tried Wild Garden but ended up throwing it out because I didn’t care for it. I’d like to incorporate it into my diet more.
Thanks!
Beth says
The best hummus hands down is found at Costco…I can’t remember the brand but its the only kind they have.
Lindsay says
Yum 🙂
Courtney ~ I love Tribe brand… I particularly like the sweet roasted red pepper, the garlic, and the spicy one 🙂
Leng says
ohhh that pan fried bread looks fantastic! It reminds me of the Indian Bread (deep-fried), I think it’s call Basura…? Recipe seems simple enough to do.
On a side note, I thought it was funny that you used the word play. :-). playdough.
Kath says
Susa,
I think our problem was definitely the watery bulgur instead of dry flour. I’m going to try it again soon!
Tina,
Good point…I didn’t know it was that much! Definitely not an everyday tea 😉
Courtney,
I hate most mass produced dips and prepared things, so I have yet to find a hummus I love, but I do like Cedar’s brand – the lemon or kalamata olive kind.
Kath
Nadia says
The Costco brand s Sabra…and it comes in a variety of flavors. You can find it anywhere. It is def. not traditional hummus though. I grew up eating the homemade stuff (half persian) and I have to say if you really want the authentic hummus taste try making it at home…sooo much better than store bought.
As for store bought, the best kind I’ve found so far is actually the trader joe’s brand – simple ingredients and delicious. The red pepper one is esp. good. Other than that “Good Neighbors” and “Abraham” makes good hummus. Hummus is one of my favorite foods so I’ve tried pretty much all brands:)
Kath says
Nadia,
Will you share your homemade recipe? I’m going to make some this week. I was going to add yogurt to thin it some and because tahini is so darn calorie-dense that I end up only being able to use a little – I want to use a LOT of hummus. But I’d love your advice 🙂
K
Annie says
Hey Kath, or anyone else. Can you count 1/2 c Canned PUmpkin as a full serving of fruit? Ive always wondered this, cause I know pumpkin is a fruit, so obviously this counts right? Thanks!
Romina says
Baked falafel sounds fantastic! I’ve made it only a few times but I’ve never thought of baking it.
VeggieGirl says
I LOVE Greek food – I had homemade baked falafel for dinner as well!!! :0D
Best of luck on the rest of your paper!! I know you’ll get it done in no time!!
ashley says
Hey Kath I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I was wondering what NET calorie amount you shoot for each day out of curiousity. I think you said like 1200 something but with your activity level of some walking around school and such wouldn’t you burn like 1500-1600 before exercise? and wouldnt your bmr alone be closer to 1400? I’d appreciate some insight, I know everyone is different but I thought hearing your explanation of how you do it may give me some insight into understanding my own, I appreciate it, thanks!
Lee says
Beth, I think the Costco brand is called Hannah although they have Sabra too which is yummy. Hannah is my favorite though.
Another Kelly says
Mighty Leaf can be expensive, but it’s great as a treat. I tend to savor it more slowly because of this. I also prefer loose teas. While they can be expensive, you usually can get a fair # of servings out of one container and you can control how much you use for stronger and weaker teas.
I love http://www.portsmouthtea.com
I have given their teas to several people as gifts and have gotten rave reviews. They make especially good iced tea.
http://www.teaguys.com makes fantastic tea as well. It’s about $8 a tin, but you get about 60 servings out of one tin. The chocolate mint rooibos is absolutely heavenly.
I also really enjoy the Republic of Tea teas.
Ally says
Yum! The entire spread looks fantastic!! I really am going to start copying your dinners, they look really easy to veganize. Easy and tasty is my motto 🙂
Have a great night!
kristin point says
This looks sooo good I’m trying it as soon as I get back to school
Yaz says
I really like the hummus from Tribe…it’s yummy!
kristin point says
ps i forgot that its ironic that you went greek tonight because my big fat greek wedding was on tv tonight! i was just watching it 🙂
Susa says
I love Athenos hummus and don’t like the Tribe brand. ;O)
Courtney I guess you’ll just have to try a few different ones. 🙂
Kristina says
If you have trouble keeping falafel together try adding an egg. Mix it in and the egg will prevent the falafel from breaking apart.
Homemade hummus is best! And dry beans that are soaked are so much better than canned.
Nadia says
Hey Kath…This is the recipe I use. It can be adjusted to personal taste as this is a pretty basic recipe but this is the classic way it’s prepared 🙂
1 clove garlic
1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved (ofcourse it’s better with chickpeas cooked at home)
2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini (or a bit more or a little less – adjust to taste since tahini is bitter!)
1 clove garlic, chopped (you can add just 1 clove garlic instead of 2 if you’re not a big fan of garlic)
1/2 teaspoon salt (add gradually at the end to avoid a taste that’s too salty)
cumin to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
(1) In a blender, chop the garlic. Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish. Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed.
(2) Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cumin and pour olive oil over the top (traditional hummus has the olive oil poured on top at the end). Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.
To adjust the texture between creamy and more solid (which is very good also) vary the amount of liquid you drain from the can. The more liquid the creamier but I like just 1/2 cup reserved liquid
Tastes best after it’s refrigerated overnight and the flavors have time to blend but delicious served as is
Btw this recipe makes about 20 servings and I once calculated it as 54 calories a serving 🙂
Emma says
yum !! i love greek food! why do you say that bagged is better than canned beans? besides from the salt…do they have a better texture? I’ve rarely cooked beans from the dry/soaking method, so I really don’t know!
Suzanne says
Hi Kath,
My husband’s best friend is Greek, and her mother makes the best Greek desserts. Her baklava is to die for! (Unfortunately, I haven’t really tried too many Greek main dishes).
So, on a Greek note…..
Would you (or anyone else) know of a lighter, healthier baklava recipe? haha…I’m not sure if it CAN be made into a healthier version. It seems like the best baklava is dripping with sugary goodness. 🙂
Oh, I second the vote of Sabra being the best hummus. YUM!!
Thanks!
Beth says
hmm The Costco hummus brand called Sabra doesnt sound familiar…
Beth says
The worst hummus Ive ever had was this ‘skinny’ hummus….it was like water!
Kelly T says
wow, what a great meal! so creative.
I’ve only ever used the boxed falafel mix and that always works well. But of course, thats not as fun. i have to try that flat bread recipe. Ive always been a little intimidated to make bread, but i think i can handle this one.
Leah says
I’m with whoever recommended “Tribe” brand — all of their flavors are great but I especially love the original…..and I especially love that with Stacey’s Baked Pita Chips!!! Yum!!
Ashley H says
yum that dinner looks great! I love greek!!
I love the athenos brand of hummus. I have also tried the kind from Costco but I dont know what the name is either! darn.
nicole r. says
i think sabra is gross!! too oily for me, and they use kind of a lot of preservatives. the closest to homemade i’ve ever had are trader joes’ and whole foods’ own store-made kinds. whole foods is hands down the best hummus ever.
Betsy says
Sabra is amazing! Sooo creamy. My fav, although I tend to buy Tribe, I like the spicey one.
Health falafel?? yes please!
Kate says
I highly recommend making your own hummus. It’s easy, cheap, and you know exactly what goes in it (no preservatives!). My recipe is similar to the one above, but I use a little less fat in it because I tend to eat about 1/2 cup at a time for lunch.
Mine goes:
1 can garbanzo beans
1 T. olive oil
1 T. tahini
juice from one lemon
1-2 garlic cloves
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
Put everything in a blender with a couple of tablespoons of hot water and blend, adding more water as necessary (getting rid of the water the beans came in/were cooked in can reduce flatulence issues). This recipes keeps for about 5 days for me, and it’s the best with carrots, peppers, and cucumbers!
I love the falafel recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance. It’s awesome and comes out great every time. It calls for frying but I always bake them. They’re great cold and crumbled over a salad with the tahini dressing recipe from the same book. Yum!
babycakes says
Hummus is one of my very favorite foods! I have a bit of an obsession with it 🙂 I also refuse to eat anything but home-made because there is just no comparison! I love making alternative-bean hummus too (my latest favorite is edamamme hummus).
LolaFunk says
Ohhh I loooove Greek food!!!!
I love falaffel balls, and those patties with cucumbers and yogurt look so festive! 🙂
sarah says
i like to doctor up store-bought hummus with plain yogurt, a sprinkle of cumin, and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. and i agree that the TJ’s brand is one of the best! i like the kalamata olive.
Kath says
Annie,
I’m pretty sure pumpkin counts as veggie for MyPyramid because it’s a squash. Im’ happy with that because I eat enough fruit and it’s fun to get a veggie serving at breakfast or dessert 🙂
ashley ,
Did you read the FAQ page about NET and my maintenance goals? I am for a net these days of about 1350. The FAQ should explain how I got to that number.
Another Kelly,
Thanks for the tea recs!
Kristina ,
We thought about adding egg last night but our problem was bigger than that from the wet bulgur – but I think I will definitely next time. Thanks for the tip!
Nadia,
Hummus looks good!! I’m using dried beans so I don’t have the “canning liquid” which I have heard makes the best thinner. That’s why I was thinking of thinning with plain yogurt. Hope it works!
Emma ,
Yes, I think the dried/boiled have a much better flavor and texture. The gooey liquid the canned come in can be drained well, but I don’t think you can ever get rid of the flavor.
Suzanne ,
I’ve never made baklava but I bet http://www.myrecipes.com would have a healthy version.
Kate ,
I agree about eating 1/2 a cup at a time!! I’ll probably do something similar. Thanks for your recipe.
Kath
Nadia says
You can just use the liquid you cook the beans in…I think yogurt will be too thick to use.
Kath says
Nadia,
That liquid is gone!! As of yesterday!
K
Laurie says
Kath,
When you say, “Keep dough in a warm place” can you give an example of where you would place the dough? This may sound like a stupid question, but is sitting on the kitchen counter for an hour be considered sufficient?
Kath says
Laurie,
We actually rise our dough on top of our DVR in the TV cabinet! It’s nice and toasty in there. But really “warm place” just means “not cold.” So if you’ve been cooking, the kitchen is always nice (warm stove?) or in a window where the sun will shine on it.
K
Stacy says
Can someone tell me where I might find tahini in the grocery store? I’d like to try making my own hummus but I have never seen tahini where I shop.
rhodeygirl says
Morning Kath-
I’ve always been taught (by my Jordanian aunts and uncles) to only add enough flour OR bulgur so that the combination of beans/spices/etc is no longer really sticky, and can be formed into a ball… kind of like when rolling out dough- you only use enough flour to make the dough not stick to your surface. Perhaps the amount of bulgur and flour is why it became so crumbly? I suggest the next time you try to make this you just follow your (great) instincts and only add enough flour/bulgur until it feels right. Works every time for me 🙂
Caitlin says
Re: Hummus
I love Sabra as a treat. It’s creamier and probably a little less healthy than regular hummus, but really delicious. I only eat a serving at a time (2 tbsp.) so I don’t find it too oily or anything. Trader Joe’s hummus is great, too – very fresh tasting.
Nadia says
hey Kath,
You can sub just plain water for the bean water…shouldn’t make too much of a difference. It’s only for thinning purposes so if you want a more solid form you don’t have to add more than 1/4th cup. 🙂
Amalia says
Kath,
I know how much you love cinnamon, so I just wanted to recommend Bengal Spice tea from Celestial Seasonings – its super cinnamon-y! I just tried it for the first time this week – no sweeteners needed!
Katie says
YAY for middle eastern food. I’m a proud Lebanese girl today. lol. This looks great. I LOVE cucumbers with yogurt and dill. Yum yum! I’ve never heard of a pan fried pita. Very interesting!
Ange C. says
Nadia- thanks so much for sharing that recipe! I can’t wait to try it soon. Seems so authentic coming from you. 🙂 And I agree that Sabre is a great hummus. I buy a big container of it from my local Sams all the time.
MoniMoni says
WOW – I cant wait to try this recipe!!!!! THANKS 🙂
KarenR says
For everyone who loves Greek yogurt, but laments the price/availability, have you tried draining regular plain yogurt? If you put some Stonyfield in a cheesecloth for a couple hours it will thicken up. I’ve done this to an almost cream cheese consistency for dips, but you could probably do it for less time to thicken it up to Greek yogurt consistency.
And wow, I use way more tahini than everyone else in my hummus! I should probably cut back considering how much hummus I eat!
Stacy, tahini is in a different place in every store I buy it in. Sometimes it’s in the ethnic food section, sometimes with condiments and sometimes near peanut butter. And I always buy the Joya brand. I got a different brand once and it was so bitter it was inedible. (particularly when you use as much as I do, apparently)
Kath says
Stacy,
It’s usually with the nut butters, but I’ve seen it in the ethnic section too.
rhodeygirl ,
Thanks for the tip. I think it was too much wet bulgur. Next time!
KarenR ,
I’ve done that before with yogurt – it is really good!
Kath
george Stefanos says
Sorry to disappoint all you illiterate and ignorant people out there, but hummus and falafel are not at all Greek. There isn’t any such dishes eaten in Greece. You people need to stop trying to affilliate middle eastern food with Greek, its not anywhere near the same. Middle Eastern food just has a minute influence from Greek and Roman
cuisine in it, and thats all !! If you want a great Greek dish go to The Old Spaghetti factory and
get something that really is Greek, like the Spaghetti and mizithra cheese with burnt butter.
I’m Greek and I’m from Greece and it troubles
me that people think that Middle Eastern dishes
are Greek. Maybe you people should look on a
map and see that Greece is in Europe and not in the Middle East. Greece is also the oldest European country and civilization and Italian and
Southern Slavic food is the closest to Greek, not
Middle Eastern. There is more Spanish influence
in the Phillipino food then there is Greek influence
in the Mid eastern food. It surprises me that you people are that illiterate.
anastashia pappas says
AMEN!!!
I’am an American Greek, but my parents were born in Greece. I am 35 years old and have never heard of Hummas or Falafel until a few years ago. We used to have authentic Greek food about twice a week for 20 years and no one in my family had ever even made mention of Hummas or Falafel.
Although I do like Falafel and Hummus, I find it disturbing that someone in Kaths position would misinform people on a subject she specializes in. I wonder if we will find out if there is an abundance of oil in Greece next?
Anna says
Hi Kath!
I found a great variation in falafel you taught in this post. Keep the good work up. I am happy to find your blog on internet. Thanks dear