Dear Falafel,

Where have you been my entire life?!

I had a pre made falafel mix that had been sitting in my pantry for about 3 months. I remember buying it with good intentions but never initiated the challenge. Yesterday was the day… and I quickly fell in love!

I ended up pan frying them in some EVOO.

I think I ate 3 of these little patties. It was pretty much a party in my mouth!

 

Because falafel is made from ground chickpeas and matzo meal they taste surprisingly like hummus. Falafels originate from the Middle East and is a popular street food. They are fried, stuffed into pita pockets and topped with crisp vegetables and drizzled with some kind of sauce – hummus, tahini / yogurt, etc.

I had one patty left over and I decided to crumble it in my salad for lunch today.

Hearts of romaine
red onion
orange bell pepper
toasted pumpkin seeds
avocado
sun dried tomatoes
falafel
a few teaspoons of lemon juice & EVOO
salt and pepper
dried basil 

I just took another batch of falafel out of the oven. This time I baked the little patties for about 7 minutes on each side at 375 degrees. I have a hunch that I am going to be eating a lot of falafel the next few weeks. I am now on the hunt for a homemade recipe instead of a boxed version. Any tips or recipes that you would like to share?