Falafels are a traditional Middle Eastern snack sized ball made from chickpeas, with the addition of some herbs and spice.
High in protein and low in fat (when not deep fried!) these little balls make a great addition to a salad, wrap, pita pocket or mezze plate.
Today we are showing you how to make your own falafels from scratch (it’s easy!) as well as a spicy salsa to go with it.
This is a weekend staple at our place. For some reason my husband believes that everything seems more exciting when it’s covered in a spicy salsa.
As an optional extra, you could also try your hand at one of our delicious home made dip recipes to go with the falafels.
Here’s an interesting falafel fact for you: in Egypt, McDonald’s sells the ‘McFalafel’, which is essentially a vegetarian Big Mac.
Ingredients for the falafel salad:
- 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1 small red chilli, finely diced (optional)
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- Stalks from 1 bunch of coriander
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- ½ cup grated low fat cheddar cheese
For the salsa:
- 3 tomatoes
- ½ red chilli
- ½ clove of garlic
- 1 lime, juiced
- Leaves from 1 bunch of coriander
Method:
- Place the kidney beans, chickpeas, lemon zest, chilli, flour, and coriander stalks into a blender or food processor. Season to taste and then blend until smooth. You may need to add more flour if it seems runny.
- Use wet hands to shape the mixture into balls (should make 8-10 balls).
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over med/high heat and fry the falafel until golden.
- To make the salsa, place everything into a food processor or blender and bring together. Pop into a bowl to serve.
- Arrange the falafels, carrot, lettuce and cheese onto 4 plates and top with the salsa.
Serves: 4. Calories per serve: 311.
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