Baked Falafel

You betcha! Why can’t I enjoy the great taste of falafel with a healthy spin? Well, I say make falafel patties and bake em.  Into my favorite kitchen appliance (food processor) went: 1 can drained and rinsed garbonzo beans, 1/4 sweet onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 3 tablespoons each of cilantro and parsley. After it was a good consistency (whatever that means) I added 5 tablespoons of wheat flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder and pulsed a little more.  Then I made little patties and plopped them into a glass baking dish with a little bit of cooking spray. Baked @ 400 for 20 minutes on each side.

The really yummy part is the sauce that I made to go with it!

I did not measure, so bear with me.  Tahini, maybe 1/3 of a cup, juice of 1 lemon, salt, ground cumin, 1/2 packet of stevia and 4 tablespoons of non-fat yogurt.  I am so hooked on this dressing/sauce.  I plan to make this more often for sure.  I might thin it down a little with some water or more lemon juice next time.  With the falafel, I had massaged kale salad with yellow bell peppers and cucumber.

The massaged kale is oddly, one of my favorites as of late.  I just put lots of lemon juice and a little salt and its perfect.  It is even more perfect with that sauce.  I want to make the falafel again soon.  For one, it was so good, and for two, I over baked them.  So depending on how you like them , cooking times should vary.

Worked out with Jackie again last night.  Not sure if Netflix will be getting that dvd back anytime soon.  No worries, that is why we have 3 on rotation. I am thinking I just bust bust out of my home workouts and go to the gym tomorrow.  Hopefully, if it doesn’t rain, I plan to take a bike ride.  There is  part of a trail I need to discover that I found this winter!

Tonight is my Friday. My cheat day is actually, Thursday night.  I feel better if I only cheat part of the day.  So, I am thinking one of these and some Pop Chips sound delightful!

The deal I made with myself, is that if I cheat tonight, it’s gym tomorrow.  Deal.

Have a good night!

What is your favorite food or drink for cheat day?