Yes! Did you know garbanzo beans are one of the most healthiest foods on the planet? (Yes, I said most healthiest-because they are that good!). Yup, this heart healthy and versatile food is at the top of our bean chain! And they are delicious!
One of my favorite meals that feature garbanzo beans as their star are falafels! Falafels are fried little fritters comprised of dried garbanzo beans that have been soaked in water for 12-24 hours and are then mixed with garlic and fresh herbs and spices. They are traditionally served with a tahini sauce, which is sesame butter, in a pita, flatbread, on a salad, or as a side dish. I like mine in pitas. And they can be rolled into any shape. I make mine into logs so they are like dippers for my kids-like fish sticks!
I like to stick to the healthy theme here of these falafels and bypass the three inches of frying oil. I bake mine!
Baked Falafels
2 cups dried garbanzo beans, covered with two inches of water for 12-24 hours, then rinsed and drained
1 tsp baking powder
1 small onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic (Finicky Shark says if too spicy-use less garlic)
1 Tb coriander
1 Tb cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 handfuls fresh flat leaf parsley
1 handful fresh cilantro
Zest AND juice of one lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray for baking or canola oil for frying
Serve with:
Warm pitas or Greek salad
Various veggies for pita pockets-sliced cucumbers, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, etc.
Tahini Yogurt Sauce (recipe under Dips)
Preheat oven to 425*F.
Place garbanzo beans in food processor and pulse until broken down. Add remaining ingredients except for S&P and combine well. Add S&P to taste.
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence. Everything is better with lime. I love my microplane! Every passionate cook should own one of these!
Scoop mixture by tablespoons and form into small balls-1 Tb, or roll carefully into logs-2 Tb. Transfer to cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray falafels again with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate falafels, spray again and bake for another 15 minutes until browned evenly.
Alternatively drop carefully into hot oil and fry about 5 min each, turning to brown evenly, being careful they don't stick to the pan.
Serve in warm pitas (pictured above) or over Greek salad.
Serves 4, makes 16 logs or 32 balls
To make a quick Greek Salad, chop some lettuce, and add sliced tomato, red onions, cucumbers, bell peppers, kalamata olives, pepperoncinis and feta cheese. Toss with EVOO, balsamic vinegar and Greek seasoning.
These are amazing with Tahini Yogurt Sauce. And the sauce is so delicious and good for you, my husband enjoyed half the bowl! See recipe for Tahini Yogurt Sauce under dips.
And we can't finish this out without a Finicky Shark version. My kids like these with ranch. Or ketchup. I also give them the Tahini option.
Served with a side of carrot fries!
*Slice peeled carrots into French fry size pieces, toss in olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper. Then bakeon cookie sheet at 450*F for 20-25 minutes.
Sharky reviews:
My oldest shark inhaled these with ranch dressing and requested seconds.
My most finicky super sensitive shark prefers less garlic, but did attempt to eat these. He said they were spicy-less garlic would fix that, as I do recall him eating these in the past.
My youngest shark ate a few bites with ranch dressing. The carrot fries were also enjoyed. And they really liked the flatbread circles. I found preservative free whole wheat pita flatbreads for myself and hubby at Fresh and Easy. For the boys I chose smaller 100 calorie circle flatbreads.
Enjoy! And don't forget to add the Tahini Yogurt Sauce!
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