Crispy and crunchy brown croquettes known as Falafels are a world wide sensation. People love to indulge in these scrumptious fried goodies, and I am among one of those who can devour many of these easily without even thinking twice about the amount of extra calories these come loaded with.
When fried these falafels loose all their nutritional qualities and become just fat balls. And since few days I have been eating healthy diet and trying to reduce the consumption of fat, so decided to bake these and made a wholesome meal out of falafels. I served these with whole wheat and oats flour pita bread along with some hummus and tahini sauce.
This was my first attempt at making pita pockets at home and to make them healthy I made these combining whole wheat flour and oats along with some Italian seasoning. Though the All purpose flour pitas taste more good, these come without guilt. Initially I baked these pita pockets but I got really mad after seeing papad like pitas...then I remembered seeing these at Priya's space where she makes them like rotis. I too used that technique and voila I had some soft and delicious pita pockets.
Would like to thank my new buddy Meghna who sparked the idea of healthy eating in me.
Baked Falafel: (Yields around 13)
Leaning Tower Of Falafel
Baked Falafel: (Yields around 13)
Ingredients:
Chick Peas Soaked Overnight- 2 Cups ( Soaked Chick Peas)
Garlic- 2 Cloves
Onion- 1 Big
Coriander Leaves- 1/2 Bunch
Bread Crumbs- 2 tbsp
Bread Crumbs- 2 tbsp
Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder- 1/2 tsp or more
Salt- To Taste
Lemon Juice- 2 tsp
Baking Powder- 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/4 tsp
Olive Oil- To Brush the falafels
Procedure:
- Preheat the oven to 230 degrees C.
- Rinse the soaked chick peas with ample fresh water and drain. Grind the drained chick peas in a food processor or mixie coarsely without adding any water and empty in a big bowl.
- Now dry grind the coriander leaves along with onion and garlic and add it in bowl along with chick peas.
- Add in bread crumbs, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder,red chilli powder, baking powder, baking soda and lemon juice to the chick peas mixture.
- Mix evenly all the ingredients and shape it in balls and flatten them little like patties.
- Brush with olive oil on both sides of the balls.
- Arrange them in the baking tray and bake for around 50 minutes turning the falafels once in between till they brown from outside and become crunchy.
Tahini:
Ingredients:
White Sesame- 1/4 Cup
Lemon Juice- 1 to 2 tbsp
Olive Oil- 1 tsp
Water As Required
Salt- To Taste
Procedure:
- Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan or kadhai till they very slightly change their colour and release the aroma. Keep aside to cool.
- Add the sesame seeds and other ingredients in the mixer jar and grind till a smooth paste is obtained. Adjust the thickness as required by adding more or less water.
Hummus
Hummus:
Ingredients:
Chick Peas Soaked Overnight And Pressure Cooked- 1 Cup (Cooked Chick Peas)
Tahini- 1 tbsp
Garlic- 2 Cloves
Lemon Juice- 2 -3 tbsp
Mint Leaves- 3 or 4
Salt- To Taste
Olive Oil- 1 tbsp
Water
Procedure:
Add all the ingredients in the mixer except oil and grind to make a smooth paste. Transfer the ground hummus in a bowl and pour olive oil on top.
Pita Bread:
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour- 1 1/2 Cup
Ground Oats Flour- 1/2 Cup
Instant Yeast- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
Italian Seasoning- 1 tsp
Luke warm Water- Around 200 ml
Procedure:
- In a large bowl add whole wheat flour, oats flour along with yeast, salt, sugar and Italian seasoning.
- Combine everything nicely and start kneading in a dough using the luke warm water.
- Knead for 5-10 minutes till the dough turns smooth and soft.
- Keep the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a greased plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for about an hour.
- After the dough has risen pinch out balls just like when making rotis. Roll the dough using little flour into desired size and cook on heat on a flat skillet or tava allowing the pitas to puff up.
Assembling The Sandwich:
Take some shredded and chopped vegetables of your choice and spread it on the pita, then top it up with falafel, some hummus, tahini and wrap it in a foil. Serve immediately else it may become soggy.
Linking this to Fast Food Not Fat Food Event hosted by Priya of Bon Appetit brain child of Priya of Now Serving.
