Think beyond the usual batter and use your waffle iron to create this healthier version of a falafel – the delicious Middle Eastern chickpea treat – that serves four.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried* chickpeas, soaked in water overnight in refrigerator
- 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- Nonstick cooking spray
*Avoid canned chickpeas; they’re too soft and moist for this recipe. Be sure to “pick over” the peas; a stray small rock occasionally winds up in the batch.
Directions
- Preheat waffle iron on medium and oven to its lowest setting.
- Drain soaked chickpeas and place them with the onion and garlic in a food processor.
- Pulse until blended but not pureed.
- Add parsley, olive oil, flour, salt, cumin, coriander, baking powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper, pulsing until mostly smooth.
- Coat both sides of iron grid with nonstick spray.
- For each fawaffle, place about 1⁄4 cup of batter in the iron, leaving a bit of space between scoops for each to expand. Close the lid of the iron and cook for 5 minutes before checking.
- Remove fawaffles when cooked through and evenly browned.
- Repeat process with remaining batter.
- Keep finished fawaffles warm in oven.
- Serve with hummus and pita bread.
Tip:
Serve your fawaffle in pocket pita bread – but first, waffle that, too. It only takes about 15 seconds a pop!
Excerpted from Will it Waffle? Yes, It Will! by Daniel Shumski (Workman Publishing).
Photo courtesy of Workman Publishing
