Falafel are a delicious ball of Middle Eastern spice and chickpeas cooked to perfection. They are ideal as a snack, search with pita bread and salad for lunch or dinner, they are vegetarian and amazing hot or cold.
I love using spices in my cooking, especially if the spices are used in a way to elevate and make food even more delicious. If you’re looking for some tips about how to use spice, then have a look at Slimming World Spice.
If you’ve not tried falafel before, you may be wondering what it is, well in simple, it is chickpeas with some other tasty ingredients. Falafel is a Middle Eastern dish which is full of spices and chickpeas. These falafel have a great spice which adds a fragrant warmth to these savoury bite-sized falafels.
These slimming world cumin Falafel are perfect for lunchboxes, snacks, BBQ’s and more. Perfect as finger-food or serve with couscous and roasted vegetables for a more substantial main meal.
Are Slimming World Falafel Vegan?
If you hadn’t guessed, Slimming World Falafel are vegetarian, but they are not vegan as the recipe requires an egg to bind the mixture together. There are a number of pre-made falafel that you can buy in the supermarket such as Cauldron falafel, Gosh and even supermarket own versions.
The issue with these shop bought falafel is that are mass produced, you get what you get, whereas if you make your own, you are in control of the ingredients, spice and flavours, most importantly keeping everything on plan.
Where do Falafel come from?
Falafel comes from the Middle East, the exact location is unknown and controversial, although they are to have thought to have originated in Egypt. It doesn’t matter where they originated from as the Middle East has made them their own.
You will see recipes that use chickpeas or fava beans or other beans depending upon where in the Middle East the recipe is from. You will also see that they are either a ball shape or flat and round.
You may see that most falafel are deep fried, this recipe is a bake falafel recipe, so there is no oil and the falafel turn out light a delicious.
Slimming World Cumin Scented Falafel Syn Value
Now, if you are making your own food from scratch, you are in complete control of what is going into it, you are in control of the amount of syns that are in these. This recipe is actually syn free, so you can eat these to you are full.
Equipment
When you’re wanting to make some delicious falafel, having the right equipment can really make a difference! A good ol’ food processor is your best buddy for blending chickpeas, herbs, and spices into that perfect falafel mix. To make it easier, I thought I would share with you what I used when making these falafel.
Conclusion
As you can see from my Falafel recipe, this has been a recipe I have tweaked a few times, trying to get the flavours just right and this is my final result.
Let me know your thoughts. If you are looking for other vegetarian food that you can cook, why not check out my Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake, it is absolutely delicious and just what is needed.
Slimming World Falafel Recipe
Slimming World Cumin Scented Falafels
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 800 g Chickpeas Drained and rinsed
- 50 g Onion Peeled and finely chopped
- 100 g Carrot Peeled and grated
- 2 Cloves Garlic Peeled and finely chopped
- 22 g Ginger (Fresh) Peeled and finely grated
- 2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Paprika
- Pinch Salt
- Frylight
Instructions
- Place the onion, carrot, chickpeas, garlic, ginger, cumin, chilli powder and the ground and fresh coriander in a food processor. Pulse and process for 1-2 minutes until blended but still fairly chunky in texture.
- Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg and add to the mixture. Season with salt and, using your fingers, mix thoroughly to combine. Cover and chill in the fridge for 6-8 hours to firm up and allow the flavours to develop.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment and spray lightly with low calorie cooking spray. Shape the chickpea mixture into 24 bite-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Spray lightly with low calorie cooking spray and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and firm.
- Serve warm, sprinkled with paprika and serve with salad, pita and enjoy.
Notes
INGREDIENTS | WEIGHT | CALORIES | PRICE |
Chickpeas | 800g | 1024 kcal | £0.66 |
Onion | 50g | 20 kcal | £0.02 |
Carrots | 100g | 35 kcal | £0.06 |
Garlic Clove | 2 clove | 96 kcal | £0.04 |
Ginger (Fresh) | 22g | 18 kcal | £0.10 |
Cumin – Ground | 2 tsp | 16 kcal | £0.14 |
Chilli Powder | 1 tsp | 8 kcal | £0.07 |
Coriander (Ground) | 3g | 5 kcal | £0.07 |
Egg | 1 medium | 131 kcal | £0.10 |
Paprika | 1 tsp | 5 kcal | £0.07 |
TOTAL | 1358 kcal | £1.33 | |
PER SERVING | 340 kcal | £0.33 |
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