Healthy vegetarian wraps with homemade baked falafel and fresh tzatziki sauce. Low in fat and calories, and packed with nutritious veggies and herbs.
While the mention of falafel usually brings to mind those small, brown, perfectly round balls, this version is a bit different. The vibrant green colour comes from a whole cup of fresh herbs, and adds more to the dish than the attention-grabbing green hue and distinct aroma. Both coriander and parsley are packed with vitamins, and serve as excellent sources of vitamin A, while parsley is especially well known for its high contents of vitamin K and vitamin C.
Falafel is naturally vegan and the perfect dinner option for anyone looking to eat healthy without giving up on flavour. Adding even more fresh herbs, though, can take things to a whole new level and give this centuries old classic a modern twist.
Assemble the Perfect Wrap
You can serve falafel any way you want it, but if you’re running low on ideas, this might save you some time trying to plan the perfect weeknight dinner. Put it in pita bread, either store-bought or homemade (I used store-bought in this case because I was short on time), and fill it up with your favourite fresh veggies. You’ll love it with:
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced cucumbers
- Fresh lettuce
- A few springs of fresh parsley and coriander
To make one wrap (exactly as in the picture) I used:
- 2 falafel patties
- 3 tablespoons tzatziki sauce
- 2 tomato slices
- 4 cucumber slices
- 2 pieces of lettuce
Falafel Wraps with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and grated
- ⅔ cup (150g) plain soy yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Falafel
- 1 can (14.5 oz) chickpeas
- ½ medium brown onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ cup (15g) fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (30g) fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Serve with: lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, pita bread
Instructions
Tzatziki Sauce
- Start by making tzatziki. The secret to a great tzatziki is in getting rid of all excess liquid from the cucumber, so make sure you give yourself enough time for this step.
- Peel and deseed the cucumber, then grate it and place it in a sieve, resting on a bowl. Leave it like this for at least an hour, and press out excess liquid from time to time with a spoon.
- If you want to make sure it’s really drained, you can place it on a clean tea towel or even a stack of paper towels and pat it dry.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber with yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, and give it a good stir. Cover and place in the refrigerator while you prepare falafel for the flavours to fully develop.
- You can store the sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Falafel
- Combine the chickpeas, onion, garlic, cilantro and parsley in a food processor or a high speed blender. Process until broken down, but still a little chunky. Make sure not to blend it smoothly.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add lemon juice, cumin, olive oil and baking soda. Mix very well.
- Spoon 6 equally sized balls and transfer them onto a plate, cover with cling foil and leave in the refrigerator to cool for at least 1 hour. This is essential if you want them to stick together and not fall apart while baking.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and, when chilled, transfer the balls onto the baking sheet. Press them down slightly with your hand or a spoon to form patties. As they are quite large, this makes them easier to flip while baking.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the patties carefully. Bake for another 10 minutes, until well-browned and firm to touch.
- Serve with tahini sauce, pita bread and fresh vegetables.
Leave a Reply