These crispy baked falafel bites are packed with the fresh, exotic flavours of lemon, cinnamon and cumin. Use them in a wrap with hummus and fresh vegetables or serve on a skewer as a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
So I gotta tell ya – I made these falafels the other day and the first time was an absolute BUST. I was so incredibly enthusiastic about them that I even told my roommate to save room for dinner because they were going to be THAT GOOD. Turns out, that was setting things up for a real let down.
Originally I had the “amazing” idea to try and make these falafel balls vegan, so I didn’t add the egg. The flavour was definitely there but the consistency absolutely was not. So, so, so dry. Somehow I miraculously managed to form them into balls and place them onto the cookie sheet but then when I opened the oven to turn them halfway it was a crumbly, crumbly mess. Never mind having to flip them over – I eventually just gave up and allowed the crumbly mess to ensue. My roomie and I ended up having to use a giant spoon to doll out said crumbly mess onto our enthusiastically prepared wraps. However, no food was wasted so all is well that ends well.
I think that if you want to make these vegan, you would need to figure out a substitute binder for egg or figure out a different way of cooking them that doesn’t involve deep frying. I think the deep frying is what helps to keep the shape of the falafel but it isn’t really a cooking method that happens at my house. So wait, why is deep frying not so good for you?
What’s the deal with deep frying?
I’m sure you hear it all the time – stay away from deep friend foods – French fries, fried chicken, those weird funnel cakes that you get at carnivals that I don’t fully understand (?), donuts, etc. etc. Well, sadly to say, turns out there is a pretty good reason (and many years of heart disease) to account for this advice.
When foods are deep fried, they absorb the fat that they are fried in. This fat is often highly saturated. We call saturated fats the “non-heart healthy” fats because they are exactly that – not great for your heart. First of all, eating too much saturated fat can raise your “bad” cholesterol levels and can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Some restaurants and fast food chains may also use trans fat-containing oils because they tend to be super cheap and relatively tasteless. Trans fats are even worse because they have the same negative health effects as saturated fats but they also lower your “good” cholesterol as well. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, if you compare them gram to gram, trans fats are at least 5 times more harmful than saturated fats. Gah – that’s no good.
Interestingly enough, when you eat fried foods from a restaurant or food establishment that doesn’t replace their oil frequently the effects can actually be worse. When food is continually added to oil it lowers the overall temperature of the oil. Consequently, it takes longer to fry the food allowing more oil to be absorbed, thus increasing the total fat content of that food.
So what’s the takeaway? Enjoy fried foods once in a while as a special treat but not all the time. Try different heart healthy baking methods like baking, steaming, sautéing, etc. – and make these baked falafel balls while you’re at it.
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Yields 15 falafel bites
Baked Falafel Bites
These crispy baked falafel bites are packed with the fresh, exotic flavours of lemon, cinnamon and cumin. Use them in a wrap with hummus and fresh vegetables or serve on a skewer as a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
15 minPrep Time
36 minCook Time
51 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (19 oz) can chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- ¼ cup almonds
- 1 bundle parsley (about 2 cups chopped)
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- dash of pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Drizzle olive oil onto a medium-sized cookie sheet until coated.
- **In the bowl of a small food processor, chop chickpeas until they reach a crumbly consistency. Transfer chickpeas to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- In the same food processor, chop the almonds. Transfer to the same mixing bowl. Repeat for the parsley.
- Add the diced red onion, minced garlic, lemon juice, ground cumin and ground cinnamon to the mixing bowl. Mix together with your hands until all ingredients are combined.
- Add egg, salt and pepper. Continue to mix with your hands until mixture is thoroughly combined and can easily be shaped into small balls.
- Shape falafel dough into golf-ball sized balls. Flatten slightly on each side and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove sheet from oven, flip falafels over and continue to bake for another 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.
Notes
**If you don’t have a food processor, you can definitely do all the work by hand (it will just take you a little longer to do all the prep work). Also, if you have a large food processor, feel free to combine all the ingredients at once. Unfortunately I only have a little guy so this is how I do it.
Make the balls slightly smaller, put them on a skewer with some hummus and tomato and turn it into a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
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http://www.aseasonalkitchen.com/baked-falafel-bites/References:
EatRight Ontario. http://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Fat/Tackling-Trans-Fat.aspx#.V74qE5MrLBJ.
Heart & Stroke Foundation, Saturated Fat Heart Disease and Stroke. http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.9314923/k.E0FA/Saturated_fat_heart_disease_and_stroke.htm.
Heart & Stroke Foundation, Dietary Fats, oils and cholesterol. http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3484237/k.D734/Healthy_living__Dietary_fats_oils_and__cholesterol.htm.
Heart & Stroke Foundation, Trans Fatty Acids and Heart Disease and Stroke. http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3799313/k.C112/Position_Statements__Trans_fatty_acids_position_statement.htm.
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