Thursday Recipe: Falafel

Ingredients:

¾ cup sliced green onions

½ cup sliced celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans drained

1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed, drained

1 egg

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 cans (15 ounces each) whole tomatoes drained, coarsely chopped

½ cup chopped cucumber

2 teaspoons sliced pitted ripe olives

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

½ teaspoon dried mint leaves

4 pita breads, cut into halves

Method:

1. Heat small skillet;
2. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Cook and stir onion, celery and garlic until tender; remove from heat.
4. Process beans in food processor until smooth.
5. Combine bean mixture, egg, juice, flour, salt, cumin and pepper in large bowl; stir in cooked vegetables.
6. Form mixture into 8 patties.
7. Heat large skillet; spray with cooking spray.
8. Cook patties over medium-low heat until lightly brown, about 5 minutes per side. Combine tomatoes, cucumber and olives in small bowl. Serve falafel with pita bread; serve with tomato and yogurt mixture. (Makes 8 servings)

*The image is not original.