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Monday, August 23, 2010

Falafels, how I love thee...


I really do. I could eat them everyday. Except that wouldn't be the healthiest thing to do. That's why I enjoyed this week's Baking Beauties recipe. These falafels, in a larger burger patty size, are baked, not fried.

When I was in high school and a rebellious vegetarian teenager, one of the first recipes I tried to make was a chickpea burger. I don't remember if it went over well with my "meat and potato" parents, but it was a hit with me. Even though the Bite Me recipe was much different, it was nonetheless delicious.

Now, I didn't follow the recipe to the "T." To the falafel mixture, I added a dash of cinnamon and straight up bread crumbs until I reached my desired texture. As well, I didn't bother cooking the onions first before running the ingredients through the food processor. I thought, if I'm grinding everything up, what's the point. It's not like you're going to bite on a hunk of raw onion. Oh yeah, I added some fresh cilantro as well.

With the tahini sauce, I didn't add the mint and parsley. I just didn't think it needed it. We just folded our pitas over the falafels, to form a sort of sandwich. We topped our falafels with the yummy tahini sauce and some shredded cabbage.

I will definitely make this again. Like I said, I love falafels. But, I never appreciated smelling like a fry house after making them. The Falafel Burger is a healthier and less smelly alternative to the authentic fair.