After hearing for years about falafel as a street food in the Levant; and after trying some out of a box, I decided to try to make it myself.  Very easy!  You have probably noticed from previous posts that chickpeas are often an ingredient in a Fast meal. This is because of their high protein content and good taste.  Then next logical step is to turn them into the main course as felafel patties, which can be eaten in a number of different ways. The recipe that follows is from the old Hippie classic Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen.  The recipe is easy to prepare and will set you up for several future meals. You could even double the recipe easily.

** I have seen this spelled various ways, but this is the version that I use.  If any readers can supply an ‘official, definitive’ spelling, that would be just fine.

Felafel, 1 batch:  762 calories     24.5 g. fat      40.3 g. protein      99.3 g. carbs          GF  PB           per patty:                30 cal                1.2 g. fat          1.6 g. protein       4 g. carbs

2 cups cooked chick peas   [Goya is a good brand.  You could start with dried chick peas but factor in the extra time needed to cook and reconstitute them]                                                 1.5 cloves garlic, crushed                                                                                                                                  ¼ cup celery, minced                                                                                                                                     ¼ c. scallions, sliced                                                                                                                                        1 egg                                                                                                                                                                    1.5 tsp tahini                                                                                                                                                         ½ t. cumin                    ½ t. tumeric           ¼ t. cayenne    each of these is an antioxidant       ¼ t. black pepper              1.5 t. salt

Combine everything in food processer until ingredients form a uniform paste. Scoop into a bowl and chill 1 hour. Form into balls on a silicone mat or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. I used a 1 Tbsp scoop and then flattened the patties. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. The patties should be heated through and have an outside ‘crust’ which is firm to the touch. There will be about 20 of them. Use now or cool and freeze for later use. [As street-food, these are fried which of course puts them out of the realm of healthy food.  By baking them, we make them useful for a Fast Lifestyle]

Watch for future posts for Fast Lifestyle menus using felafel patties.