Healthier Falafel with Tatziki Sauce.
Posted by dana on Mar 1, 2012 in food, recipe | 18 comments
I love Mediterranean food.
In fact, it’s become one of my favorite cuisines in the past several years.
Hummus, pita, shawarma. I can’t get enough of the stuff.
But falafel? That was one ship I hadn’t quite sailed on yet.
I know falafel is fried but I pretty much refuse to fry anything in my home.
It’s gross.
And messy.
And unhealthy.
And would likely make my house smell like Church’s Chicken.
No offense to Church’s but…you get my drift.
This recipe was so simple to throw together.
I had all of the seasonings on hand and only had to make sure I picked up fresh parsley.
I sort of view these as greek burgers, but with a slightly different texture than traditional veggie burgers.
And the taste? Is phenomenal.
Once these little guys are cooked up you just top them with some simple tatziki sauce and gobble them up. They have a nice freshness to them from the tatziki.
And a distinct flavor from the chickpeas and spices.
I, for one, am totally a fan.
You can find the Falafel recipe at Budget Bytes.
And the Tatziki recipe at Key Ingredient.
I followed the recipes to a T – only I halved them both – and they turned out wonderfully.
Of course, frying the falafel will give you a better texture.
But the frying wasn’t worth it to me.
I’m just fine with the sauteed version.
And just so you know, the fresh dill was delightful in the dip.
But I have heard that mint is a lovely substitution.
I’m sure whichever you have on hand would be fine.
Can we say, Yum?
John and I ate these up in a matter of 2 days.
Experiment success!
Enjoy!
Dana
18 Comments
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I love falafel, but whenever I made a recipe, it called for dried chickpeas and the falafel turned out really….dry. I’ll have to try this one.
I love, love, love, love, am obsessed with, adore, flip out over falafel. Yours looks fantastic!
(and I’m probably late to the game, but I love your new blog look!)
Thanks, Katie! It was all John’s doing. He stayed up late working on the site one night last week and I woke up to a pleasant surprise the next morning! He’s the best.
This looks absolutely delicious!! I’m off to check out the recipe.
I totally despise frying. I’m also not a huge fan of sauteing my bean burgers or falafel. I just got with baking them. It takes more time and you don’t get a pretty cool, but it’s easy and cleaning is a breeze. These look SO good though! I just know I would love them!
wow, this comment had so many typos. I should really refrain from commenting until I’ve woken up. I mean to say, you don’t get a pretty color on them.
haha, I knew what you meant. The color does make them look much more appetizing but baking is another great cooking option. as long as it’s not frying I’m on board!
Aw yeah, a baked falafel recipe! The tzatziki looks delectable – there’s nothing like some fresh herbs and yoghurt to accompany falafel.
I just tried Falafels for the first time ever just a few weeks ago, and cannot believe I’ve gone my whole life without them!! Thanks for the recipe, eager to try these at home!
P.S. Love your husband’s site, thanks for sharing it!
Awesome! He’s such smartie. He has so many helpful articles on his site. I hope you’ll give them a read.
I’ve felt the exact same way about falafel! Love this recipe!
Love falafel in patty form. So much easier for stuffing into pita (ie you can fit way more stuff in). Lovely!
I picked up a bag of frozen falafel balls from Trader Joe’s on my last trip. They got pushed to the back of our freezer but now I think you’ve inspired me to dig them out. Not the same as homemade but I’ll make your tzatziki dip and then I’ll feel a little more respectable
anything from trader’s has to be good. I love that store. Happy feasting!
These look SOOOO tasty! I might just have to give them a shot
Tag! You’re it!
Head over to http://jennajoybeck.blogspot.com/2012/03/eleven-things.html to see the post I tagged you in and pass it on. All you have to do is think of 11 random facts about yourself and answer a few questions so we can get to know you better!!
Thanks Jenna! I’ll see what I can do!
This looks sooo good! I love falafel. Probably one of my favorite things ever.