Falafel Pitas with Tahini Sauce

My family loved this so much we had it twice in one week! It was so good! I know traditionally falafel is deep fried and really crispy on all sides, but this is my healthier version of the original. I just pan fried mine on two sides with a few Tbsp olive oil and it worked great and tasted really great. I also tried baking some of the falafel, which also turned out really good! If you live near a Trader Joes (man, I love that store!) they have an awesome tahini sauce for this sandwich. If not, just get your favorite hummus and that will work great also. Another bonus, it's so kid friendly! We served it to the kids in a deconstructed manner, so that thy could dip everything. It was almost like chicken nuggets for a veggie kid! They loved them, and the chickpeas provided them with lots of protein, the herbs are packed with nutrition, and the tahini sauce is loaded with calcium! Also, my secret ingredient for these is the Panko Japanese breadcrumbs. Get some made from wheat flour, and they add a nice crunchiness. I hope you enjoy these as much as my family did!

Falafel Pitas with Tahini Sauce

serves about 4 comfortably

What You Need for Falafel Balls:

1 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 small yellow onion

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

3/4 tsp salt

pinch of black pepper

small handful (about 1/2 cup) parsley

small handrul (about 1/2 cup) cilantro

1 Tbsp arrowroot powder

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. whole wheat flour

1/2 cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs (try to find wheat flour Panko)

Fresh lemon wedges for squeezing over cooked falafel

In a food processor, mix all ingredients except Panko Breadcrumbs and lemons until very smooth. Add the Panko breadcrumbs and pulse to incororate. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small ice cream scooper (about 1 healping Tbsp.) scoop up balls and place onto the parchment. Place the baking sheet with falafel in the refrigerator to chill for a frew hours if you have time.

Cooking the Falafel:

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add a few Tbsp. of Olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place your falafel in the pan and cook for several minutes on each sie to create a brown crispy crust. When done cooking, place on a towel or baking sheet to cool off, and sqeeze a few lemon wedges over them.

If baking your falafel, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and bake for about 20-25 minutes until the falafel balls become crispy on the outside. Squeee fresh lemon wedges over the top when finished baking.

For Falafel Sandwiches:

You need:

cooked falafel balls

Whole wheat pitas

Sliced tomatoes

sliced cucumbers

microgreens, or sprouts

Tahini Sauce, or your favorite hummus

Cut the pita in half. Sread hummus or drizzle tahini sauce into the pita. Add tomatoes, cucumbers, microgreens or sprouts and 3 falafel balls. You can drizzle a little extra tahini sauce on top if you want. Serve with an extra wedge of lemon on the side.

If serving this to young children:

Serve the sandwich deconstructed. Put some tahini sauce or Hummus in a small dipping container. Serve with all of the ingredients that would go into the sandwich on a plate for them to dip. Kids love this!