International Falafel Day – June 12

Private Home Health Care is thinking about falafel today. 

Those delicious chickpea and spice balls that you’ll find as part of a collection of dishes called Meza in the Middle East.  A meza dish is similar to tapas in the spanish cuisine world.

Falafel can also be eaten with a salad or in a pita pocket.

You’ll get many good benefits from eating falafel.  Falafel are both vegetarian and vegan as they don’t contain any meat or dairy.

Ground chickpeas and ingredients like garlic, onion, parsley, coriander and cumin blend together to form balls.  You’ll get protein and fiber from these tasty round delicacies.

Additionally you’ll get solid amounts of vitamin B6 and nutrients manganese, folate, magnesium, iron and zinc.  They really are little powerhouses.

The downside is that when you get these at restaurants they are often fried.  Your fat, carb and sodium make this a less healthy choice.  This is especially true if you are watching your sodium intake.

One solution for you is to make falafel yourself and bake them rather than fry them.  This changes the fat and carb content and you control the sodium too. 

You can find different recipes online then you follow these directions for baking them:

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking/cookie sheet with oil.
2. Take your mixture and form them into small patties and place them on the baking sheet.
3. Bake one side for 10-12 minutes, then flip them and bake another 10-12 minutes until they are golden and crispy.

Private Home Health Care loves to enjoy falafel and eat them with a sauce like tzatziki.  Fried falafel in moderation is ok if baking is not for you.  Treat yourself to some falafel and taste a bit of the middle east.

Photo by Nataliya Voitkevich