How to Make a Healthier Falafel

A falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, normally in the form of a deep fried ball or a patty, and is primarily made up of chickpeas and/or fava beans. Fava beans was the original main ingredient, but over time, chickpeas have taken over as the primary component in the falafel. The word "falafel" is Arabic for the plural form of the word "pepper". It is generally served inside pita bread or in a wrap, and is a very common fast food option in the Middle East, and is often a favorite among vegetarians. It is frequently served with lots of vegetables, such as lettuce, onions, cucumbers, and peppers, and then is normally topped with tahini sauce, which is a sesame seed paste.

I recently saw on the Rachael Ray show, she was making a "falafel burger", which she trimmed down some from a traditional falafel, which is deep fried, by pan frying it in a little bit of vegetable oil in a skillet. I decided to trim hers down even more, and bump up the fiber in it, making it even that much healthier.

Ingredients

• 4 Pita pockets, or 4 whole wheat tortilla wraps
• ¼ cup Fiber One Original cereal
• 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried off (lay chickpeas on towel and pat dry)
• 1-2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin powder
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Tahini sauce (this can be purchased in most grocery stores near the Middle Eastern section in the international foods aisle)

Directions

• Place Fiber One cereal in a food processor and chop to a breadcrumb-like consistency
• Place all other ingredients (except the tahini sauce) into the food processor (start with just 1 tablespoon of flour).
• Mix together until all pureed, and the texture is such that you can form patties. When adding the flour, add just 1 tablespoon at a time. Depending on how dry the chickpeas were when you started, you may need to keep adding flour until the dough is stable enough to form patties.
• Form four (4) equal size patties.
• Spray pan with olive oil cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.
• Put patties in pan and heat for several minutes on each side.
• Serve in a whole wheat pita pocket (or in a wrap) lined with lettuce, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and any other vegetables that you may like, and then topped with the tahini sauce.