Middle Eastern Falafels for Meatless Monday

Falafels are always the first thing I look for when arriving on a market. We are blessed with many markets in and around the Western Cape and trust me at all these markets there will be someone selling Middle Eastern Falafels, pitas and schwarmas. I just love the intense aromas of cumin and coriander that I get when I am near these stalls. Biting into my first falafel was truly love at first sight. I remember it so well, the crunchy, crispy outside and the nutty, soft inside not to mention the flavors of cumin, chili, coriander and chickpeas that took me on an instant trip to a street vendor somewhere in the Middle East. I have always wondered if I would ever be able to make it to taste just like that.......

...and I am happy to say, my falafels were exactly as I remembered it and the beauty of it is that I can make it now whenever the craving hits me and I do not have to wait for market day anymore. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous to try the falafels on my family, first of all because dad is a bit of a carnivore and cumin is the one spice that my children do not like all that much.



Well my husband was blown away and all he kept saying is: "Tell everyone who is eating it, that there is absolutely no meat in it!" He was just so amazed at how "meaty" the falafels were. For me the perfection  is in the whole experience. Biting through the warm pita, hitting a crunchy warm, spicy falafel and some crispy lettuce and then the cooling effect of the minty yogurt and fresh coriander. Middle Eastern Street food does not get much better than this!





Falafels

makes about 10-12 servings



Ingredients



2 tins of chickpeas - drained

1 small onion - peeled and cut in chunks

2-3 big cloves of garlic

1 chili

2 big handfuls of fresh coriander

2 eggs

1 tsp ground cumin

salt/pepper

 vegetable oil



Place all the ingredients, except the eggs in a food processor and blitz until everything is processed into a fine crumb like consistency. Add the 2 eggs and mix with the chickpea mixture. Allow to stand for about 5-10 minutes. Heat enough vegetable oil in a pan to be able o deep fry. Shape the mixture into smallish balls and fry them in batches until they are golden brown on the outside and moist and delicious on the inside. Serve in a warm pita bread with some fresh lettuce and minty yogurt(simply mix a cup of Greek Yogurt and some fresh mint). Delicious Middle Eastern street food!





Perfect for a Meatless Monday Meal. Through the week, we really try to stick to pasta, fish, chicken and maybe a little mince, but over weekends we so totally over indulge in meat, that Meatless Mondays actually come as a great relief. If you want to change to a healthier lifestyle, but there are just so many things wrong with what you are doing, I suggest you start with little changes and making your Mondays meatless, is definitely a step in the  right direction.