Falafel is a deep-fried ball, or a flat or doughnut-shaped patty, made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Herbs, spices, and onion relatives are commonly added to the dough. It is a well-known Middle Eastern dish that most likely originated in Egypt. For a healthier alternative to deep frying, falafel can be drizzled with a little vegetable or olive oil and baked in the oven as we have done in the recipe below.
Pulses do not usually make BG rise too much due to their protein and fibre content and we would normally not carb count for them. However, this recipe may cause a greater increase in BG due to the larger amount of pulses and the fact they are mashed. For this reason, we have carb counted half the carbs shown in the chickpeas (see below). It is always good practice to check your blood glucose 2 hours after eating when trying any new recipe.
Ingredients (carbs shown in bold)
400g tinned chickpeas in water, drained and rinsed (60g but we have
carb counted half of this for reasons given above = 30g)
- 1 small onion, peeled (0g)
- 1 -2 cloves of garlic, peeled (0g)
- 1 slice wholemeal bread – made into breadcrumbs (15g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (0g)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander (0g)
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (0g)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (0g)
To serve:
Four large pitta bread (preferably wholemeal) (108g – this is taken from
carbs and cals book - best to check the food label)
- A few lettuce leaves (0g)
- 2 medium tomatoes (0g)
- ¼ cucumber, sliced (0g)
- 4 tablespoons low fat Greek yoghurt (60g)
Carbs per portion - Falafel: 45g (30g +15g = 45g) 45g ÷ 16 = 2.8g = 3g
Each falafel contains 3g carbs. The recipe says a portion is 4 falafel = 4x3 = 12g carbs
Carbs per portion – accompaniments: 168g (108g + 60g = 168g) 168g ÷ 4 = 42g
Carbs in 1 pitta containing 4 falafel = 12g + 42g = 44g
Method:
You can still make this recipe if you do not have a food processor, just grate the onion and garlic and mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or a fork. The bread can be grated too to make breadcrumbs
1. Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and chop finely
2. Add the chickpeas, breadcrumbs, cumin, coriander, parsley and oil and mix for a bit longer
3. Shape into 16 balls and placed on a greased or lined baking tray. Chill for 30 minutes
4. Place the tray into a preheated oven (200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6) and bake for about 25mins, turning the falafels to prevent sticking
5. To assemble, fill each pitta with lettuce, sliced tomatoes and cumber, 4 falafel and 1 tablespoon of yoghurt
You can always try variations, add chilli powder or finely chopped fresh chilli for a spicier version. Try adding grated sweet potato or squash (but don’t forget to carb count)
Taken from Change4Life recipes: https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes
