📂 Light Dinners
#Vegan
#High Protein
#International Food
#Gluten-Free
Grilled Chickpea Burgers (Falafel) with Tzatziki Sauce
🧆 Middle Eastern flavor with a fitness twist. Delicious crispy grilled chickpea mini-burgers (not fried) with fresh yogurt and cucumber sauce.
🛒 Ingredients
- 8.8 oz Dried chickpeas
- Bunch of parsley and cilantro
- 1/2 Onion and 2 garlic cloves
- Ground cumin
- 1 Greek yogurt
- 1/2 Cucumber
🧆 Healthy Falafel: Crunch Without the Deep Fryer
Traditional falafel is a plant-based marvel, but when deep-fried in abundant oil, it absorbs a lot of fat. This version adapts the traditional dough to cook it on the griddle in the form of mini-burgers. They come out golden and crispy on the outside, spiced and moist on the inside. Accompanied by a homemade Tzatziki sauce (Greek yogurt and cucumber), it is a top-tier dinner.
🌱 Why it is exceptionally healthy
- Raw Legumes: The secret to authentic falafel is using hydrated raw chickpeas (not canned). This provides different digestibility and wonderful intact fiber for the gut.
- Probiotics and Freshness: The yogurt in the tzatziki sauce provides beneficial bacteria, and the cucumber provides maximum hydration that compensates for the natural dryness of the chickpea.
- Iron and Chlorophyll: The massive use of fresh parsley and cilantro in the dough injects a very high amount of plant-based iron, vitamin C, and detoxifying phytonutrients.
📝 Step-by-Step Preparation
- Hydration (Day before): Soak 8.8 oz (250g) of dried chickpeas in plenty of water for 24 hours. (ATTENTION! You cannot use canned cooked chickpeas; the dough would fall apart).
- The Green Dough: Drain the chickpeas perfectly and dry them. Put them in a food processor along with 1/2 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 large bunch of parsley, 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Process until you get a sandy texture, similar to couscous. It should not be a smooth puree.
- Shaping: With clean hands, take portions of dough and form mini burgers or flattened disks (they grill better than round balls).
- Tzatziki Sauce: Grate half a cucumber (3.5 oz / 100g), squeeze out the water by pressing with your hands, and mix it in a bowl with 1 plain Greek yogurt (4.4 oz / 125g), half a finely chopped garlic clove, a splash of lemon, dried mint, and salt.
- The Griddle (No Frying): Heat a non-stick skillet brushed with EVOO (approx. 1 tbsp / 15ml). Add the falafels and cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes per side. Flip them carefully so they toast well.
- Enjoy: Serve the warm grilled falafels accompanied by a generous bowl of the fresh Tzatziki sauce for dipping.
