Falafel Pitas
Adapted from CooksAid.com
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | ¼ of recipe |
| Calories | 429 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.0 g |
| Sodium | 981 mg * |
| Total Carbohydrate | 73 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
*Amount of sodium will be less than this if garbanzo beans are rinsed.
Servings and Times
| Servings | 4 |
Ingredients and Preparation
| Ingredients | Measures |
|---|---|
| Plain, low-fat yogurt | ½ cup |
| Tahini (sesame-seed paste) | 2 tablespoons |
| Garlic cloves, minced | 1 + 1 |
| Lemon juice, divided | 2 tablespoons |
| Garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained | 1 (15-ounce) can |
| Parsley, chopped | ¼ cup |
| All-purpose flour | ¼ cup |
| Ground cumin | 1 1/4 teaspoons |
| Salt | ½ teaspoon |
| Black pepper | 1/8 teaspoon |
| Olive oil | 2 teaspoons |
| Whole wheat pitas, sliced in half | 4 (6-inch) |
| Tomato, diced | 1 |
| Cucumber, diced | ¼ cup |
| Green-leaf lettuce leaves | 8 |
- Directions
- Whisk together yogurt, tahini, 1 minced garlic clove, and half of the lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover sauce and place in refrigerator until falafels are ready.
- Combine garbanzo beans, parsley, 1 minced garlic clove, flour, cumin, salt, pepper, and remaining lemon juice in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Shape mixture into 8 small patties.
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side, until browned.
- Arrange patties in pita halves. Top each burger with about 1 ½ tablespoons of the sauce, and add in tomato, cucumber, and lettuce.
Exchanges
4 starches; 1 very lean meat; 1 fat; 1 vegetable.
Side Suggestions: Fruit Salad
Dice and combine different fruits of your choice. Drizzle with some lemon juice to prevent browning.
