Falafel Pockets

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans

¼ cup shredded carrots

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sesame tahini, divided

1½ teaspoons chopped garlic

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil or spray

1⁄3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tomato

4 lettuce leaves

8 mini whole-wheat pita pockets

Method:

1 Heat oven to 425°F. Rinse and drain beans, and mash together with carrots, flour, 2 tablespoons tahini, 1 tablespoon water, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. It’s fine if there are some pieces of garbanzos.

2 Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and shape mixture into 16 patties the size of a half dollar. Place on cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until crispy, turning once.

3 Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix yogurt, remaining tahini, and the lemon juice. Add warm water by the tablespoon if sauce seems stiff.

4 Stuff falafel, tomato, and lettuce leaves into pitas. Serve with yogurt sauce on the side and fresh veggies like cucumber and red-pepper dippers.

Makes 4 servings. Nutrition per serving: 415 calories; 16g protein; 65g carbohydrate, 12g fat (2g saturated fat), 11g fiber; 137mg calcium; 4mg iron; 354mg sodium.

kitchen tip:

Falafel freezes beautifully either before or after cooking, so save leftovers or double the recipe.

Falafel Pockets