Falafel Dip
As the Super Bowl approaches (Feb. 1!), I start to think about what nutritious snacks I’m going to make to balance out all of the junk food that’s typically served at Super Bowl parties.
I’ve been wanting to make falafel, but haven’t really been up for the messy and tedious process of forming patties and frying them (which makes them bad for you anyway).
I decided to make a falafel dip that’s easy, nutritious, and captures the Mediterranean flavors of fresh herbs, cumin, tahini, and kalamata olives. It’s a good thing this dip is low-calorie, because it’s hard to stop eating it once you start! It’s good on whole grain pita chips, cucumber slices, or Romaine leaves — pretty much anything you’d eat with hummus.
Falafel Dip
Ingredients:
Falafel Layer:
- 1 15.5-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- Large handful fresh curly parsley, about half a cup
- Small handful fresh cilantro, about 1/4 cup
- 2 T. tahini (sesame seed paste, usually located with the peanut butter in grocery stores)
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 t. sea salt
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 t. cumin
- 1/2 t. coriander
- Large handful fresh curly parsley, chopped
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 small cucumber, chopped small
- 1/2 small tomato, seeds removed, chopped small
- 4-5 kalamata olives, chopped
Tahini Drizzle:
- 2 T. nondairy milk (I used almond milk)
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 T. tahini
Directions:
- Combine all falafel ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Spread into bottom of a flat dish/bowl so it’s about one inch thick.
- Chop your handful of parsley and squeeze some lemon juice over it. Sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt, then spread evenly on top of the falafel layer.
- On top of the parsley, spread out the cucumber, tomato, and kalamata pieces. Sprinkle with more sea salt.
- In a pinch bowl or small cup, add a squeeze of lemon juice to the nondairy milk and let sit for about two minutes. Whisk in the tahini and salt until there are no clumps and the sauce is a thin consistency. Drizzle over the top of the vegetables.
- Serve with whole grain pita chips, cucumber slices, or Romaine leaves.
Why sabotage your health with buffalo wings and cheese dip when you can have a fresh and flavorful dip like this one? If you like falafel and the flavors of the Mediterranean, you will love this nutritious dip!
Just try not to eat it all at once!
After this I need to try falafel!!! Looks delicious 🙂