Baked Falafel

This is a healthier version of falafel. I tried baking the falafels in my muffin pan instead of deep deep-frying them. This can make a wholesome meal along with some pita bread and hummus and can be enjoyed without guilt. I got the idea from here

Instead of hummus, I made tzatziki a cucumber-yogurt dip to go long with the falafel. Will post the recipe soon. It was really refreshing and we had a simple and nutritious dinner!


Ingredients

Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans - 1 cup ( to be soaked overnight) or 1 can drained
Onion - 1/2
Fresh Parsley - 1 cup loosely packed
Garlic - 2 cloves
Whole Wheat Flour - 2 tablespoons
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 1/4 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Olive oil - 2 spoons
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. It should double in size. Alternatively, you could use the canned ones. Drain the liquid.
In a blender, add all the ingredients together and blend to form a coarse and chunky mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for half an hour. it would rise a bit.
Take a muffin pan and grease with oive oil or cooking spray.
Take a tablespoonful of the mixture and place in each muffin pan. You can use an icecream scoop for easier shaping. You could also use a cookie/baking sheet instead of the muffin pan alternatively. i used the muffin pan since it gives a good shape to the falafels.
Do not put too much batter in each falafel. Keep it thin so that it turns out crispy.

Bake at 375F in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes, flipping the falafels half way through.
In the final two minutes turn the oven to broiling mode in order to get crispy falafels. Take care they do not burn.


Enjoy with pita n hummus!

Sending this to MLLA: Eighteenth Helping hosted by Srivalli and started by Susan

Other middle eastern recipes in my blog:
Falafel (deep fried version)
Hummus
Lavash and Falafel Wrap
Cumin Hummus
Baklava
Piroshki / Pierogi / Potato Pies