30 October 2007

Baked Falafel Pitas with Feta Cheese Sauce

It is very hard to get back into the swing of things after our Couch Potato weekend at The Hills. I have been asked, "What does a Couch Potato weekend consist of?". Close your eyes and envision the stereotypical, lazy, overweight man ( I suppose it could be a woman as well, but that is not the stereotype) sitting on the couch in his underwear drinking beer. Now quickly erase this memory from your mind and envision 8 buff and fit ladies hiking on the cross-country ski trails through 20,000 acres of ranch land, horse back riding, canoeing, biking and enjoying down time with massages and spa treatments. A weekend at The Hills could be whatever you want it to be. I guess the premise of being a couch potato is to do as much as you want or as little as you want. The sky is the limit or not... They have so many wellness services ranging from yoga, pilates, aerobics, aquafit instruction, kineseology, reflexology and comprehensive lifestyle counselling. It is also a working ranch so there was horseback riding and line dancing mixed in with gourmet meals.



After being spoiled for the weekend it has been hard to get back into a routine of making regular meals. Instead I am dreaming of past vacations to Greek Isles.......In that case this is another repost from past posts for one of my favourites. I love the goat cheese sauce!!

Photo was taken at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The statue depicts Aphrodite, Pan and Eros (Cupid) and was found in Delos from 100 BC.


**Baked Falafels Pitas with Feta Cheese Sauce**
Falafel

1 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 (6-inch) whole wheat pita, torn into large pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 large egg whites
cooking spray

Relish

2 cups chopped, seeded plum tomatoes
1 cup chopped English cucumber
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 serrano chile, minced

Sauce
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup (2-oz) soft (log style) goat cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1 small garlic clove, minced

4 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, halved

To prepare falafel, sort and wash chickpeas, and place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans and let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine chickpeas and next 11 ingredients; pulse 8 - 10 times or until finely chopped. Spoon mixture into a bowl. Add egg whites to chickpea mixture, and stir well. Let stand 15 minutes. Divide mixture into 16 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch thick patty. Place patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

To prepare relish, combine tomato and next 5 ingredients.

To prepare sauce, combine yogurt, goat cheese, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1 minced garlic clove, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Place falafel patties in each pita half, spoon about 1/3 cup relish and 2-1/2 T sauce into pita half. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

17 comments:

  1. This looks great--I love the idea of baking the falafel instead of frying! Yum!

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  2. Perhaps one day you can RETIRE to Greece! Wouldn't that be great? Or just summer/winter there ...

    And I agree, baked instead of fried is always good!

    And now I want to go canoeing. Too bad fall is in full swing around here! (First frost this morning!)

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  3. This sounds yummy, Valli...as does everything you blog about! :-)

    The Hills sounds like a relaxing, yet invigorating place to spend a weekend. And I can 100% confirm that riding horses is good for the heart and the spirit! They are amazing creatures. :-)

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  4. I love falafel. This is an interesting combination. I usually eat them with a tahini sauce. I should try this version.

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  5. Hi Valli, that retreat does sound like my kind of weekend. I'm not good at sitting-in-my-underwear couch thing, so a weekend where I can be outside and indulge in other treats like a massage and gourmet meals would be great.

    This cheese sauce does sound good. I am tagging it for future reference - thanks!

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  6. Sounds like a fabulous weekend! I wonder what gourmet food they made you?

    Your pitas with Feta cheese sauce sound amazing. I don't need much convincing though.

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  7. Oh Yum Valli! Yum yum yum! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip away - well deserved I would say! Love the statue of Aphrodite - guess she was on both of our minds this week, but in different ways! ;)

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  8. That would be something to retire in Greece Abby!!!
    The weekend at the Hills was amazing as it is every year!!
    Hope you enjoy the falafels!! One of my favourites!!!

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  9. Valli, so nice your weekend but....the life continue!!!!! No, really, I hope you make this again is som nice have a really break.
    well, I love this recipe, so nice.And look so yummy!!! (Valli if you want to look I make other Dulce de leche's dessert) xxxxGloria

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  10. Oh yummy! I love the idea of your couch potato weekend away. I miss those BC hills!

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  11. mmmm, i love falafels with feta! i usually like mine deep-fried, but this looks too good not to give it a try.

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  12. Falafels have been on my to try list for a while now. They are baked as well! The main thing holding me up was that I do not have a deep fryer. The Cheese sauce sounds really tasty.

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  13. I so wanted to be with you on your weekend at The Hills! Wow, so relaxing and lots of yummy things to indulge in! I am so happy that you had a great weekend!

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  14. Yeah, go on and rub it in :) some of us are not that lucky :(

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  15. The sauce, along with the relish sounds yummy over the falafels!!!
    Did you ever try it with canned garbonzo's? or is that a no no??

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  16. Thankls very much guys. I appreciate you visiting!!!!

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  17. Canned garbanzo beans or chick peas are both excellent!I usually use canned because they are the most convenient.

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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