Southwestern Falafel

I’ve needed a little bit of inspiration for dinner lately. I feel like we are in a bit of a rut. So, I decided to turn to some old recipes that I haven’t made in a long time.

One of the one’s I turned to was this Southwestern Falafel. I guess, what’s old is new again.

So, I made this Southwestern Falafel again. (I posted about it in 2010.) But, I served it a little differently this time.

And, I’m happy to say that the husband said he hopes we have this for dinner again, not once, but twice while we were eating; I knew it was a hit.

We used to go to a restaurant called Daphne’s. Most of them around us have gone out of business now, but, the way they served their falafel inspired me to serve mine like this. Dan said, “This is the way I always wanted Daphne’s to taste.” Cool, so these little Southwestern Falafels not only were good, but they were better than the ones at the restaurant.

Spanish Rice

I made an easy Spanish rice to go along with the falafel. Simply take some cooked rice (brown or white or a combination of both) and mix in a little salsa. I usually do about 1 cup rice to 2 tablespoons salsa, or more or less to your liking. That’s it. Easy & yummy.

Salad

For the salad, use greens like spinach and romaine, add in some shredded carrot and chopped red pepper, and drizzle on a little Italian Dressing.

Plating

For plating, place the salad on the plate, spoon some Easy Spanish Rice next to it. Place a cooked falafel patty on top. Sprinkle the whole thing with a little cilantro and chopped red onion for garnish, and place a dollop of ranch dressing or tazatziki next to the falafel. Serve with flatbreads if desired.

And, eat!

There you have it, a super easy, yummy, and healthy meal!

Southwestern Falafel Recipe

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Southwestern Falafel

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author Debi

Ingredients

• 1 can 15-oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
• ½ cup finely crushed tortilla chips
• 3 scallions minced
• ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Place pinto beans in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until a coarse puree forms. Add cheese, tortilla chips, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pulse until well combined. Add egg white, and pulse a couple of times to lightly combine. Remove mixture from food processor, and stir in egg white to thoroughly combine.
2. Form mixture into 4 patties.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add patties to pan, you may need to work with only 1 or 2 patties at a time, and cook until golden brown on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip patties and cook until underside is golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Patties can be frozen up to 6 months

Adapted from Prior Post