Falafel Cakes

I love Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food. Being Lebanese and proud, I consider much of this food to be Lebanese. Although Greece, Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon and other surrounding countries share similar dishes, if it is made in Lebanon, it is Lebanese. Rolled grape leaves are Lebanese; tabbuli is Lebanese; hummus and baba ganoush are Lebanese. I decided to clarify in the case that I post a “Lebanese” dish that your Greek Grandmother use to make when you were a kid; you will not take offense.

What I love about Lebanese food is that it is rich in flavor and quite healthy. For those who have sensitive stomachs, dairy- aside from Greek yogurt or what we call lebneh- is rarely used in this food. Butter is generally substituted by Mediterranean olive oil and instead of pasta you will find rice, chickpeas and couscous.

Falafel is one of my favorite dishes. It is very healthy, aside from the fact that it is fried. This led me to creating a falafel recipe that skips the frying. I call these falafel cakes. I mold the mixture into balls but once they bake they generally form into the shape of mini pancakes.

Falafel is often times dipped into a sauce like lebneh. I created a more flavorful yogurt sauce that I use for several dishes. I tried it with these cakes and think they pair well together.

-2- 15 ounce cans chickpeas

-½ white onion

-1 cup parsley, roughly chopped

-½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

-2 large garlic cloves

-1 egg

-1 teaspoon cumin powder

-¼ teaspoon chili powder

-1 tablespoon lemon juice

-1 teaspoon of baking powder

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-White Flour – 1/4 cup (I will try whole wheat flour next time)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor. You may need to add some water to help blend it. Do not add too much or the mixture will be too thin.

Spoon the ingredients into small balls onto baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Yogurt Sauce

-2/3 cup roasted pine nuts
-2 tablespoons of fresh mint leaves
-3/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves
-1 garlic clove
-Juice of 1/2 lemon
-1/2 of a 17.6 oz. of Greek yogurt
-2 tablespoons of olive oil
-2/3 cup of vegetable oil
-Salt and pepper

Roast the pin nuts in the oven on 350 degress F for about 5 minutes or until they look golden brown.

Put add ingredients in the blender except for vegetable oil. Start the blender and slowly drizzle the vegetable oil through the whole on the top. You may need to stop the blender and push down the ingredients with a spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste.