Recipes: Chickpea Nuggets (Lisa's version of falafels) and Tzatziki Sauce

I made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious. Matthew really liked them a lot. The kids didn't seem to care for them, but I'll probably continue to make these and have them keep trying it. Anyway, Matthew said they were so good and that I could start a gourmet restaurant. LOL He also said that I have to make them for our friends when they come over. LOL He's so funny.

Since we loved them so much, I thought I'd share the recipe with you. Thinking of different Friday dinners can be a challenge for me, because we do not eat meat on Fridays, except on Feast days in the Church calendar. We have quite a few friends who also practice this devotion and some of them also say how thinking of different Friday meals can be a challenge and how we tend to make the same things over and over again. haha! Very true here too. Because of this, though, I thought I would make an effort to share some meals I make so that you can add them to your repertoire of meals. :)

So, Lisa's chickpea nuggets. LOL I called them chickpea nuggets in hopes that the somewhat familiar name (sounds like chicken nuggets) would encourage the kids to eat them... didn't work this time. We'll try again next time. :) Also, I call the chickpea nuggets because really these are not authentic falafels at all... they have different spices and ingredients that you would not find in an authentic falafel. I mean, canned chickpeas for falafel? NOT authentic... but it's quicker and easier which is key when you have little ones to take care of. LOL

I found this recipe for falafels for the base of my recipe- though I changed it up quite a bit to make my chickpea nuggets. Really it doesn't hardly look at all like the original recipe, but for completeness sake I'm referencing it.

Alright here we go. First a pic of some of the finished product: 

Lisa's Chickpea Nuggets 

Ingredients:

1 can (15.5ounce) chickpeas drained, rinsed and pat dry with paper towels

1/2 small onion chopped finely

1-2cloves of garlic minced

2 small stalks of green onion chopped

1/4 tsp parsley

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2-1 tsp curry powder

1/8 tsp tumeric

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used seasoned, but you could use unseasoned.- up parsley to 1 tsp if using unseasoned)

1 /2 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 egg

3-4 TBSP olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil
2. Throw all ingredients (except oil) in to a food processor and blend.
3. Transfer to a bowl and mash./mix together with hands until uniform
4. Form small balls and flatten slightly
5. Heat oil in pan. Pan fry falafels/nuggets. Turn when browned.
6. Transfer nuggets to lined cookie sheet and bake for 15-20mins more

Some note: step 5 is optional. You can bake these instead. I just thought pan-frying them would be tastier (which I'm sure it is). If you're just going to bake these, then spray the pan with cooking spray and bake each side for about 20mins or until browned. 

I served these with homemade tzatziki sauce, salad and bread. It would be awesome served in pita pockets, with tzatziki sauce, lettuce and tomato. That would probably make the meal go farther too. The above recipe makes about 20 falafels (2in diameter- 1/2 inch thick or so). They are pretty filling, but I would double the above recipe for a large family.

Here's how I make tzatziki sauce. I didn't really measure so hopefully this works out for you. There are several recipes on allrecipes that you can check out too.

Tatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cucumber,  seeds removed and chopped finely

1 tsp lemon juice

3 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 TBSP olive oil

Directions:

1) chop up cucumber finely. Place the chopped cucumber between some paper towels and squeeze out the water. (This is important to do).

2) Mix all ingredients together and chill for a couple hours.

Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did tonight!