In pursuit of a vibrant and healthy dinner, I browsed recipes for falafel across Google. While the results were not quite true falafel, the taste satiated my appetite. I secured some ingredients, including uncooked garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), Greek yogurt and dill, and an assortment of spices that looked appealing. The results turned out tasty and refreshing, enjoyed on the back patio on a temperate Spring evening. I didn’t write down definite quantities of ingredients, but my general process is as follows;
Tzatziki:
Greek yogurt (about a cup)
Shredded cucumber
Lemon juice
Garlic cloves
Dill (fresh or dried)
I mixed the yogurt and juice of half a lemon until smooth, then stirred in about half of a shredded cucumber, and combined minced garlic and dill to taste.
Falafel Patties:
Garbanzo beans (maybe 1 to 1 and ½ cup)
Spices; salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, fresh parsley, cilantro, and garlic cloves, and some N’Orleans Cajun spice because it smelled good and that’s good enough for me
Yellow onion
Garlic hummus
Olive oil
Egg
To serve:
Pita (I didn’t have any, but this would have made a lot of sense)
Cucumber slices
Tomato
Red Onion
Tzatziki
Hummus
According to numerous recipes I checked, I was supposed to soak dried garbanzo beans for 24 hours. Nix that, I’m a procrastinator, so I boiled the chickpeas until they were softer to bite through, but still firm. I combined the beans along with some oil, chopped onion, garlic hummus, and an egg. I blended this in a Ninja blender in green smoothie fashion, leaving chonks and pieces intact. In a bowl, I further tossed the ingredients and then formed patties. At 415 Fahrenheit, I cooked the patties on a greased cookie sheet for about seven minutes, then flipped them gently and cooked for another five minutes. A couple other balls of dough came out of the air fryer well, having cooked for about 12 minutes at 390 degrees, turning midway. The patties were slightly crumbly, and I’d love input on how to improve this, but not so much so to the point of becoming any kind of a hot mess. The outcome was delightful, and I felt very grateful for the healthy dinner, before topping the evening off with balance; a nice bowl of ice cream.
Moon Crumb 