Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, vitamin B6 and
folate, which is also known as folic acid. Just 1 serving of our falafel
sandwich provides almost half of your daily value of folate, a key player in
building blocks of DNA and excellent for regenerating cells such as your immune
cells.
When you order falafels at any Mediterranean or Middle
Eastern restaurant they will typically use 2 kinds of beans; already cooked
chickpeas and uncooked chickpeas that are soaked in water for hours to give you
the best tasting falafel. Occasionally, fava beans are used instead and then
the balls of dough are fried, or even baked for a healthier recipe. Since
nobody has time these days to wait hours for their chickpeas to soak, we just
went with the simple store bought can of already cooked chickpeas and decided
to bake the falafels in the oven for a healthier recipe.
The falafel recipe is very easy to follow and make. Don’t be
intimidated if you’ve never made these before, it takes less than 30 minutes to
prepare and cook! We baked these in the oven but if you’d like a better crust,
feel free to pan fry these until both sides are golden brown and finish them
off in the oven simply adjust your baking time.
Don’t forget to share your posts on Instagram and tag us! @thecommunalfeast
This is one of our go to recipes when we’re craving something filling yet extremely healthy. These flavorful pitas are stuffed with spiced falafels, fresh vegetables, mango hummus, mint and topped with a creamy, refreshing tzatziki sauce.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 4
Author: the communal feast
Ingredients
Falafels
1can cooked chickpeas
1huge handful of fresh cilantro leaves and stemsabout 1 cup
1huge handful of fresh parsley leaves and stemsabout 1 cup
3clovesof garlic
Half a jalapeno sliced
2tbspolive oil
Tbsp.freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinchof everything bagel seasoning -optional
Pinchof salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
All-purpose flour or gluten free flour
Mango Hummus
I can cooked chickpeas
2clovesof garlic
1cupdiced mangos
2tspcayenne pepper
Pinchof salf
Fresh ground pepper
2tbspolive oil
Pita Pockets
Pitas -Small ones
Sliced red onion
Tomato slices
Fresh arugula
Fresh mint
Store bough tzatzikicuts down the prep time
Instructions
Falafels
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pulse all ingredients except flour in a food processor until combined. The mixture should start to crumble together and stick when you press it together.
To form the balls, stir in the flour – just one tablespoon at a time, until it’s just dry enough to handle. Form into patties and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
To make the mango hummus
add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth, remove from food processor and set aside
To assemble the Pitas
Optional to toast your pitas if desired, place on baking sheet and warm them in the oven for a few minutes or pop them in the toaster. (They are much easier to handle and open when warm)
Cut the tip of the pita and gently open the pockets enough to fill them with your ingredients
Spread your mango hummus on the inside of your pita –only spread on one side
Start adding your ingredients inside the Pita Pocket. Start with arugula, sliced red onions, tomato slice, mint and falafel.
To serve, drizzle a bit of tzatziki and fresh ground pepper