Following on from my Spiced Vegetable Croquettes recipe, I continue my quest to come up with healthy, adventurous foods the Twins can feed themselves. They are 11 months old now and really aren’t interested in being fed by Mom, yet I’m trying to continue the balanced diet they used to get from homemade purees. These baby baked falafel are delicious and I’m so pleased my boys are enjoying them.
Beans are the perfect source of protein, especially because as a household we are trying to cut down on meat consumption. I am also keen on introducing them to herbs and spices, and what better to do it than this Middle-Eastern classic – Falafel.
Why I’ve Broken the Falafel Rules
I may be upsetting many an Israeli falafel lover here because traditionally they should be made with dried chickpeas. They should also be fried in oil to give that crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle texture. I apologize in advance because I’ve gone rogue… It can be difficult to find dried chickpeas in your local grocery store, and they also have to be soaked overnight before you can use them. So if you’re prepared and organized, go with dried, but if you have three children and a time management problem, buy canned.
Cooking Baby Baked Falafel
Making homemade falafel is really simple, and like most things, I make extra and then heat them up for the following couple of days. I tried frying them but because they are smaller than traditional falafel they soaked up a lot of oil and were too greasy. I tasted both the fried and the oven baked and I genuinely favor the baked, hence the recipe below. I’m happier offering baked goods over fried to the babies anyway; the Twins really enjoy making a mess while dipping into yogurt!
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4 responses to “Healthy Homemade Baby Baked Falafel”
A brilliant, yummy idea. We did baby-led weaning when my son was small and had so much fun coming up with ideas like this. Thanks for sharing xx #foodiefriday
Oooo this is great and a snack alyssa can actually eat!! Yay trying this!!
Thanks for linking to #foodiefriday
My boys demolished them, although Arthur decided he didn’t like the feel of the yogurt on his hands so he had yogurt for desert instead! ? Thanks for tweeting out 🙂
This was a wonderful recipe. I found that replacing flour with bread crumbs took care of the pasty texture that comes with grinding canned chickpeas!