Falafel and Tzatziki Sauce
I am really tired as I write this, so I am just going to get the point. It’s really good, pretty easy and is a great dish if your vegetarian or vegan. Everything in this dish is plant-based besides the greek yogurt. You can easily substitute the dairy with vegan yogurt that isn’t sweet. I made homemade pita too which was simple, I will put a link to the recipe at the bottom.
Falafel - Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com
1 cup of canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 yellow onion, cut in half
1/4 cup of Italian parsley
2 tbsp of cilantro (if you don’t like cilantro, just omit)
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 clove of garlic
heaping tsp of cumin
1 tsp of baking powder
4-6 tbsp of ap flour
oil for frying
chopped tomato for topping
In a food processor I chucked all of the ingredients up to the cumin, then I pulsed until everything was a consistent texture but not pureed. Then I added 4 tbsp of flour to and the baking soda, pulsed just to combine. Then I rolled a bit of the mixture in my hands, if its not sticky then put it into a bowl, if its sticky then add a little more flour. I refrigerated the mixture for 2 hours before frying. But you can refrigerate overnight.
When your ready to fry, heat up your oil so you have at least 2-3 inch depth. You want your oil to 375F, but I just let my oil heat up one notch past medium heat for 10-15 minutes. When I stick a wooden chopstick in the oil and bubbles start appearing around it, I know its hot enough. I used a small cookie scoop to get the falafel mix into the oil, otherwise just use your hands. Fry the falafel until golden brown, it took me about 5 minutes each batch. Let the falafel drain on a pan with paper towels and season with a little salt if yours needs it (mine didn’t). Serve with warm pita, tzatziki sauce, chopped tomatoes and fresh parsley.
Tzatziki Sauce - recipe from The Mediterranean Dish
1 whole english cucumber, peeled and chopped in quarters
1 tsp of salt
2 garlic cloves
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups of greek yogurt (or use vegan yogurt unsweetened)
pepper
In a stand mixer pulse the cucumber until finely chopped. Put the cucumber into a strainer over a bowl. Add the salt on top of the cucumber. Let drain for a half hour, then push down with a spatula to remove excess water. Chop the garlic or use a grater to get it into almost a paste. Add garlic, strained cucumber and the rest of the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Let the tzatziki sauce sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before using.
