Open-Faced Falafel Burgers

Having spent some time abroad in Israel while in college, I really came to love Middle Eastern food. Falafel is certainly no exception. In the past, I have either eaten pre-prepared falafel from the grocery store, or I've made it from a mix. Nothing could be easier, right? Well, this time, I opted to go it alone. I actually had very little faith in these this Cooking Light falafel recipe, because I truly didn't believe that falafel could be tasty unless it was fried or processed in some way. Well, guess what? It is possible! This recipe is very easy, and it tastes great. I skipped the tahini sauce, because I knew that no one in our house would eat it (well, besides me!), and I didn't chop a lot of fixins (onions, tomatoes, etc.). I basically just made the burgers, and served them on pita bread with cucumbers, and corn on the cob. In retrospect, I should have chopped onion, carrots, tomatoes, cukes, and maybe some lettuce for the pitas. Anyway, these burgers didn't stay together very well. I should have read the reviews, which clearly stated that 1 egg white would have bound this mixture easily. Fortunately, the flavor of these "burgers" (a.k.a. flattened falafel balls) was really fantastic. It was really authentic, with the rich cumin and sour lemon flavors blending really nicely. Coating the patties with breadcrumbs, also adds that nice texture and crunch, which actually fools you into thinking they're fried. For me, this is a definite "make-again-meal," but I will add that egg white, and probably make these into mini-burgers instead. I'm going to happily have the leftovers for later this week, probably over brown rice, with veggies.



We didn't do the "Open-Faced-Thing.

They fell apart. Bummer. Part of my problem might have been lack of a Cuinsinart. I think I got one for my wedding, which I never opened because my kitchen has always been too small, but now that I want it, I can't find it, because it's still packed up for our next move. I used my mini-food processor, which is not meant for such a big job. Perhaps my big chunks were problematic.

The Critique
I was fala-full after eating this pita-riffic sandwich! Man, I really loved this. It tasted like real falafel with just the right amount of seasoning. I loved the fresh cucumbers, although they would be better chopped into little pieces rather than in slices. Also, the pitas and falafels were somewhat crumbly, but that didn't matter. Great meal and could be a five bowler when the aforementioned issues are resolved. Hopefully I'll get to have them again in a few months while looking at the leaves change color during fala-fall.

4 bowls