Falafel | Simple, Healthy and Delicious Recipe | The Oven Light Dinner (2024)

FAQs

What to eat with falafel for dinner? ›

Hummus is a classic falafel pairing that is traditional across the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Egypt and Israel. Most traditional eateries serve hummus and falafel with a tahini sauce. This is traditionally known as a “falafel plate” and is not unlike a mezze you'll most likely have tried yourself!

Researchers have found that falafel has many health benefits. It is high in fibre as it contains vegetables, legumes (beans, chickpeas, or almonds), and olive oil, all of which can help people stay healthy and maintain an optimal weight while reducing their risk of diabetes, heart disease, and blood pressure.

Is baked falafel healthy? Yes! Baking instead of frying reduces the amount of fat and calories in this healthy falafel recipe! With protein and fiber rich chickpeas and loads of fresh herbs, these baked falafels are a great healthy meal!

Turns out that dried chickpeas are essential to good falafel. See, canned chickpeas have already been cooked. Starch molecules within them have already burst and released their sticky contents, much of which get washed away in the cooking liquid, leaving the remaining chickpeas with very little clinging power.

Falafel is low in calories and fat. When eaten as part of a healthy diet, it can aid with weight loss or weight maintenance. One of the healthiest ways to eat falafel is in a buddha bowl with plenty of healthy greens and veggies.

Many recipes use egg or flour as a binding agent. I prefer to chill falafel instead, as it keeps them nice and airy with no added filler. Don't skip the chill! It's necessary to ensure they maintain their shape.

Go with the falafel. The gyro has more saturated fat, more calories, and (usually) more sodium than the falafel—or chicken or vegetable sandwich fillings—on most menus. Take Daphne's, a "California-fresh" West Coast chain with 56 restaurants that lists calories on its menus and Nutrition Facts on its Web site.

Consider pairing your falafel wrap with a low glycemic index side dish such as a salad or vegetable dish. Falafel wraps are made of refined flours which are high on the glycemic index and are broken down quickly in the body, causing a spike in blood sugar levels.

In essence, the ingredient profile of falafel is in the least unhealthy. In fact, compared to other counterparts of the food, including chicken shawarma, falafel tops the list to contain the healthiest amount of all ingredients that are required by the body.

SUBSTITUTES FOR FALAFEL

For a quick alternative to falafel substitute a good dollop of hummus, babaganoush or try pan frying diced aubergine in olive oil, garlic and cumin.

Are Trader Joe's falafel healthy? ›

If you're going to serve them, we recommend you try to doll them up as much as possible beforehand. These falafel aren't exactly healthy, either: three pieces contain 19 grams of fat, 320 calories, 490 mg of sodium, and 30 grams of carbohydrates.

A falafel patty contains a little more than 5 grams of carbohydrates, the majority of which come from the chickpeas or fava beans. The food is high in complex carbohydrates and soluble fiber—the type of fiber that helps lower LDL cholesterol (known as the "bad" cholesterol).

Classic, plain hummus is my go-to dip here, but roasted red pepper hummus or avocado hummus are also great options. Add a salad. Tabouli, fattoush salad, and shriazi salad go well with falafel, but nearly any fresh green salad with a light olive oil dressing will work. Don't forget the olives and pickles!

If you are using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them with water to cut the sodium (salt) content by almost a half. Rinse well in cold water to make them easier to digest and less gas-producing.

Dried Chickpeas: The base ingredient for falafel; they provide the structure and texture. Soaking them overnight (or using the quick-soak method) ensures they are soft enough to blend but firm enough to hold together during cooking.

Falafel is often served in a pita, samoon, laffa, or wrapped in a flatbread known as taboon; "falafel" also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls may be topped with salads, pickled vegetables, and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces.

Authentic falafel sold on every street corner in Israel is served in pita bread. First, opened the pita and spread it with hummus. Then some finely chopped Middle Eastern salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, parsley). Add the falafel to the pita, and top with more salad, tahini sauce, and French fries.

Hummus! Everything that's been said and also babaghanouj, toum, a diy yogurt sauce (I like adding garlic, za'atar, salt, and lemon juicr), and even ajvar. I usually make a tomato based sauce from passata, fried onions and spices, then dollop hummus on top of it :) Interesting.

The most delicious sides for a Falafel Pita Sandwich need to be limited to traditional sides like quick pickled onions, cucumber salad, olive salad, Israeli Salad, stuffed grape leaves, and French fries.