Healthy Fast Food | Green Falafels
Did you know that fast food is not a concept that came up with the creation of burgers restaurant-chains?
If we dig a little in history, we can see that fast food has always existed. In ancient Rome you could eat focaccia bread with olives and in the Middle East falafels, and these were not as junk food as what they sell us in those food-chains…
Today we will stay with the falafels. These balls or mini chickpea burgers are usually fried and served in pita bread and lots of sauces, probably not very healthy. To adapt to what would be a fast food, prepared easily and quickly and that is also healthy we could make these few swaps:
– We will serve them in cabbage leaves, worth as much red cabbage as green cabbage or even any large leaf of lettuce. By not using bread, we save calories, simple carbohydrates and we are making them suitable for celiac.
– If you have problems with gluten, add some flour such as buckwheat.
– we will bake them instead of frying them, yes, at a high enough temperature so that they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
– We will serve them with a good handful of chopped vegetables, carrot, lettuce, tomato …
– As dressing, nothing better than Greek yogurt or a tahini sauce.
Are you ready to join me in this new tradition of healthy fast food? I would love to see what you come up so please remember to tag #healthyforkful on Instagram.
Delicious easy and gluten free falafels
- 2 handfuls fresh mint
- 2 handfuls fresh parsley
- 50 grams pistachios peeled
- 150 grams chickpeas cooked
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon onion minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon oat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons tahin
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- cabbage leaves
- green leaves
- carrot julienne
- tomato diced
- Greek yogurt
-
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a food processor, process mint and parsley. Add the pistachios and process. Add the rest of the ingredients and process everything until you get a paste-dough that is not sticky and uniform.
Divide the dough into 12 and shape them into a ball. Arrange on the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes to brown evenly.
-
Mix all the ingredients until blended.
-
Put a cabbage leaf with your hand, fill it with lettuce, carrot and tomato, add 3 or 4 falafels, a spoonful of tahini sauce, Greek yogurt and decorate with a little fresh herbs. Fold it a little and enjoy it with your hands, as all fast food deserves!