Falafel and Vegetable Pitas

43g CARB

Serves 4

Hands On 25 min.

Total 30 min.

• 1 lemon
• 1 15-oz. can reduced-sodium garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh Italian parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• ½ tsp. ground coriander
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ⅛ tsp. ground cumin
• Olive oil nonstick cooking spray
• 2 whole grain pita bread rounds, halved
• ¾ cup fresh spinach or watercress
• 8 thin slices roma tomato
• ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber
• 1 recipe Yogurt Sauce

1. Remove 2 tsp. zest and squeeze 2 Tbsp. juice from lemon. For falafel, in a food processor combine the zest, juice, and the next eight ingredients (through cumin). Cover and process until finely chopped and mixture just holds together (there should be some visible pieces of garbanzo beans).

2. Using your hands, shape garbanzo bean mixture into four ½-inch-thick oval patties. Coat a 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat skillet over medium-high. Add patties and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until browned and heated through, turning once.

3. Open pita halves to make pockets. Fill pockets with spinach, tomato slices, and cucumber slices. Add falafel and top with Yogurt Sauce.

Yogurt Sauce In a bowl stir together ½ cup plain fat-free yogurt, 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh Italian parsley, and ⅛ tsp. each salt and black pepper.

PER SERVING (1 sandwich each) cal 217, fat 3 g (0 g sat. fat), chol 1 mg, sodium 582 mg, carb 43 g (8 g fiber, 4 g sugars), pro 11 g

GLOBAL

This Middle Eastern street food makes a light handheld lunch when stuffed in a pita. Opt for no bread and serve on salad.