Oven Fried (Baked!) Falafel

 

Lately I’ve decided to downsize. Not the house. Me.

However I love falafel. On the other hand, it’s usually fried.

So here is my very yummy, non-fried, healthy, 0 points on the new Weight Watchers Plan Falafel!

Ingredients:

1 Pound Dried Chickpeas/Garbanzos/Cici Beans
1 Small (or 1/4 Large) Yellow Onion
1/2 Bunch Parsley
4 Cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1 3/4 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 Teaspoons Cumin Seeds
1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
1/4 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Red Pepper (optional)
1 pinch Cardamom seeds (or ground)
1 Tablespoontd> Olive Oil

Equipment:

Food Processor
Spice Grinder or Mortar and Pestle
1 Baking Steel
1 Convection Oven

Directions:

The day before cooking:
  • Put the dried beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with at least 4″ of water. Leave 12-24 hours
Cooking day:
  • Set the oven to “convection” and preheat the oven and the baking steel to 500°F
  • Put all the dried spices into a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a powder.
  • Put the salt, the ground up spices, garlic, onion and beans into the food processor and pulse with the chopping blade (looks like a curved lawnmower blade) until the chunks are about the same size as dried couscous.
  • Add the flour and all the parsley and pulse until the parsley is chopped up. Don’t process too much or the falafel will be mushy.
  • Take a ping-pong ball sized chunk of  falafel mixture and form into a ball then flatten between your palms to form a “flying saucer” shape. Place on the baking
    steel and flatten with your hand slightly.
  • Repeat until the mixture is gone or you have enough falafels.
  • Lightly brush the tops with a little olive oil.
  • Cook until the bottom and top of the Falafel is golden brown.
  • Serve immediately with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce and chopped tomatoes and thinly sliced onions in a half-pita
  • If you don’t use all of it, save the uncooked mixture and use the next day. Don’t cook extra balls and reheat, since they’re much better freshly cooked than reheated.

Enjoy!

 

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