Recipes with Rachel Allen – Middle Eastern Style Falafel
Nutritious and bursting with classic middle eastern flavours, these healthy falafels are made with fresh herbs, spices and protein-rich chickpeas – a great source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. The fresh salad adds a lovely crunchy contrasting texture.
Makes 20 approximately (25g/1oz weight) Serves 4 or 5 (depending on how hungry everyone is)
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 onion (approx. 60g/2 1/4oz)
- 1 clove of garlic (peeled)
- 250g (9oz) soaked chickpeas (125g (4 1/2oz) dried)
- 1 green chilli, seeds and all
- 3 springs of parsley, picked
- 1 small bunch of coriander (about 15-20g/1/2 – 3/4oz), leaves and top part of stems only
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom pods
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Rachel has prepared some other exciting recipes exclusively for Herbalife Nutrition. Some of these include: Bulgar Wheat Salad, Homemade Nut Butter, Asian-Spiced Sticky Pork Salad, Carrot Apple and Cucumber Salad, Courgette, Mint and Goat’s Cheese Frittata, Brown Soda Scones with Seeds and Formula 1 Banana Pancakes.
METHOD
Roughly chop the onion, garlic, chilli and herbs and put them into a food processor, pulse a few times, then add the chickpeas and blitz until everything becomes a thick paste with small, even-sized bits. The best way to check whether it is done is to scoop up a small amount and squeeze it together in your palm – it should hold its shape.
Tip the mixture into a large bowl, add the spices, salt, flour and baking powder and mix until combined well. You can shape the falafel mix in a few different ways: Use damp hands and make little balls or torpedo shapes or you can simply drop in spoonfuls of the mixture for free-form falafel. You want to be making them about the size of a walnut, no bigger, so that they cook through and crisp up at the same time.
Pop some olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and let it heat up. Carefully place the falafel in the pan – don’t overcrowd the pan and fry until the exterior is browned and crisped (about 2-3 minutes). Remove to a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil and repeat the process until you have fried them all.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Per serving:
Kcal | 318 |
Fat (g) | 22.3 |
Carbs (g) | 24.5 |
Sugars (g) | 4.0 |
Fibre (g) | 4.4 |
Protein (g) | 7.2 |
These recipes are perfect for someone who is taking two shakes a day and looking for an addition to their healthy active lifestyle. Find out more on Herbalife.co.uk
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