Extra Minty baked Falafel, as its name says, is a super refreshing vegetarian bite. Served with mini pita breads, a low fat extra cucumber tzatziki and some extras of avocado, tomato, lettuce and onion sprouts. A healthy to the core vegetarian dish!
I love making those, they fulfill your needs, plus the extra mint makes them extra flavourful and fresh. On the plus side, they are baked and won’t suck all that oil they do when fried. I like to make my falafels slightly chunkier with pieces of chickpeas, but if you like it finer well simply grind it a tad more, feel free to make it your way. Each time I’ve add a great falafels it would strangely be in a food truck or a fair and usually made with extra fresh herbs (mint or cilantro), I love this bite of freshness through all those other spices. Mint or cilantro or both even is a great green factor to add to your falafels, I believe it really bring them up on the flavour scale.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas has been cultivate since 7000 BC, such an old bean! Without saying it’s health properties are as long as they are old. Let’s just name a few; lower bad cholesterol, filled with fibres, minerals, vitamins and proteins, help regulate blood pressure, etc. In other words, chickpeas will bring you to your old days healthy. I, personally, always had a “certain”problem with beans in general, I believe it’s the “sandy” texture that turned me off, but knowing it was a “must have” for my health, I’ve started experimenting more and more with all kinds of beans. It also helps to live in Catalonia, Spain because it’s full of different types here. This recipe for instance was another of those attempt to cut on the meat and fill up my proteins need with beans, now I make those chickpea balls every other week. If you are like me and want to make alternative meals … not facts… to meat dishes this is a great way. Plus, it’s fun to pair it with all kind of sides, sauces and breads.
The sides
Falafels goes everywhere and with anything, whether it’s on top of a salad, on rice, in a pita bread or even tortilla bread. My own personal favorite is in small pita breads with lots of veggies. If you want to make your own pitas check out the recipe from a fellow food blogger, Sarah James from Tales From The Kitchen Shed here. As for the sides, I always enjoy to add a plate filled with veggies for this particular extra minty version I’ve added lettuce, tomato, avocado, onions sprout to accompany it. I also enjoy adding an extra sauce, sometimes I simply use a mustard-mango sauce or simple tahini but for this version I’ve used one of my favorite: extra cucumber tzatziki, check my recipe Tzatziki a la Maria-Pia. This sauce is great because it’s low in calories, sodium and fat and extra smooth and flavorful.
So enough bla bla… let’s get to it!
Extra Minty Baked Falafels
Makes about 15 falafels | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
Falafels
400g pre cooked chickpeas
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp of tahini
- 2 full hands of fresh mint
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1/2 tsp of sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp of powdered coriander
- 50g of chickpea flour
- 10 drops of tabasco *optional
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- bread crumbs *optional
- salt and pepper
Sides
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Onion sprouts
- Avocado
- Tzatziki sauce
Directions
- In a blender blend the garlic cloves, onion, chickpeas and the mint into a rough paste
- Add the tahini, the spices, chickpea flour, olive oil, tabasco, egg to the chickpea paste and mix well (don’t be shy use those hands)
- Add the salt and pepper
- Form with the hand small balls of 5 cm and add to a baking sheet covered with a baking paper
- Cover the falafel with a few bread crumbs just to add a touch of crunch *optional
- Once all formed, cook in the oven at 180°C (350F) for 20 minutes, turn mid way
- Serve with small pita bread, some extra avocado, tomatoes, onion sprouts and a extra cucumber tzatziki (recipe here)
Enjoy!
These look so yummy!
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Thanks!
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Very nice recipe, I recently tried to make a falafel recipe but it didn’t go so well. Yours looks a lot better than mine (:
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Thanks! I m sure you ll achieve fine ones soon Nic!
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Fantastic post. I wanna eat it
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Thanks!
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Mjammmieee
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Your falafels look delicious with all those healthy sides, I like how you’ve made them extra minty and baked them in the oven. Thanks so much for linking to my pita bread recipe, next time I make some I reckon I’ll be baking some extra minty falafels to fill them 🙂
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Glad to hear that;)
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I have never tried falafel before, bu but this looks absolutely divine!!
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Hope you ll try them, pretty tasty;)
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That meal looks great. I love falafel and make them at home as well. My favorite veggies to include are iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and extra tahini sauce 🙂
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Healthy and tasty little treats aren’t they?
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I love eating chick peas. Had no clue they were so healthy for me. I also love falafels…I must try your recipe, these look yummy.
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I love, love falafel! When I was in college I would always get one for lunch. Your version looks very delish. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks Fred!
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I love homemade meals and this looks delicious.
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I love Falafel! These look super tasty! Can you make these without chickpea flour? I couldn’t find any!
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Normal flour is perfect also;)
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Falafels are one of my go-to lunches and I had my worst one yet just yesterday. This looks and sounds delightfully minty!
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Falafels are great. I love putting those little balls on salads too. I am not a “mint” person, but certainly can sub in another flavour.
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I love mint in my food and drinks and I have a mint plant growing crazy in my yard. I will try your recipe.
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Mmmm those look lovely! I’ve not made falafels very often as I find all the recipes I’ve tried were too dry, but I’ll definitely be giving yours a try!
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This looks so tasty and fresh. I haven’t made falafel yet, but I’ve had them a lot at a local restaurant. I’ll have to try your version for my first go at it!
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simple and tasty! you’ll love it!
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I love falafels and you really 7got me o that extra minty party. Love them!
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These sound A-MAZING!
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Looks and sounds so delicious and tasty, makes me so hungry!
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Glad to hear;)
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I loved your home cooked recipe. It looks and sounds so yummy, that I want to eat it right now.
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Thanks Troy!
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