Homemade easy falafel recipe with yoghurt dressing
I love using this homemade easy falafel recipe to make falafel as a snack, with salad, in a pitta bread or on a buffet. I have a recipe here for you that shows you have to make them really healthily. It is an easy falafel recipe to follow and I can assure you that you will love them.
This website is in no way affiliated with Slimming World and no contributors have been trained by them or worked for them. It is the reader’s responsibility to check syn values and allowances themselves on the Slimming World website as these are approximate.
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Slimming World syns in falafel from the shops
Ready to eat falafel are generally smaller than the ones I make with this homemade easy falafel recipe and come in at around 1.5 syns each.
Morrisons have a falafel and houmous pack for 6.5 syns but using this homemade falafel recipe and my houmous recipe you could make the same dish syn free.
How to make a healthy easy falafel sandwich or falafel wrap
If you like a falafel sandwich then why not use this recipe to make your own falafel and then you only need to syn the bread, if it isn’t your healthy extra b choice. Using my houmous or yoghurt dip, salad, this falafel and a healthy extra b choice bread roll, pitta or even wrap you can make the falafel sandwich syn free.
The falafel wrap from Starbucks is a whopping 19.5 syns (approx). This is a way you could enjoy it for much lower syns or even syn free.
WW white wraps or WW wholemeal wraps can be used as your healthy extra b choice on the Slimming World plan. Use them with my homemade dips and this homemade falafel recipe for an easy falafel wrap!
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Why use dried chickpeas?
Canned chickpeas even when drained hold a lot more water than dried and reconstituted chickpeas. This does not mean you can not use canned chickpeas but if you do then I recommend draining them really well.
If using canned chickpeas you will find the mixture struggles to set as much in the oven however on cooling it will set more. This, I can assure you, does not detract from the taste so don’t let that worry you.
Dried chickpeas are available in most supermarkets but buying in bulk online is often cheaper. These are from Forest Whole Foods.
Making this falafel recipe on a budget
By bulk buying your herbs and spices and using dried herbs instead of fresh this can be a cheap recipe to make. Do remember if you use dried herbs to use considerable less.
I always say approximately 1 tbsp of dried herbs is the equivalent of a small bunch of fresh herbs.
This whole recipe could cost you less than £1 if all ingredients were bulk bought and obviously used for other things too.
I buy all my spices in bulk and it is amazing how much you can save instead of those little supermarket jars!
Making these Falafel Slimming World friendly
To ensure these are fully Slimming World friendly you must remember to have them with plenty of vegetables or salad. Additionally remember if you are having a lot then you need to count the flour and baking powder as syns.
The flour in the whole recipe is 2 syns (approx) and the baking powder a quarter of a syn so if you only have one they are practically syn free really!
This recipe serves 4 with 2 falafel each which is approx half a syn per person.
What about a falafel burger
There is no reason you couldn’t make this falafel bigger to make burgers but if you prefer I have a tasty falafel burger recipe you should definitely try.
Why you need vegetables to lose weight
Everyone knows vegetables are good for you, don’t they? From being a young child you are told to eat your veggies to grow big and strong!
If you follow the Slimming World diet you will instantly know what I am talking about when I say speed vegetables. On other plans, it could be considered a free extra or just classed as non-starchy vegetables.
Whatever it is referred to you need to eat veggies to lose weight, on the whole, because they are healthy and filling for very few calories! You can try swapping things like potatoes for butternut squash and add fried onions or mushrooms to other meals.
Check out my ready-made meal plans to help you along the way with lots of my delicious Slimming World friendly recipes perfect for any diet, weight loss plan or just a healthy lifestyle!
Remember to keep a check on the vitamins and minerals you consume and ensure you are eating a healthy amount of everything including calcium, vitamin c, iron, vitamin d, vitamin b12 and fibre as well as eating plenty of vegetables and fruit!
How many vegetables should I eat?
Most healthy diets and weight loss plans encourage you to eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Slimming World for example advises you to ensure that ⅓ of every meal is made up of speed foods. Other than possibly for breakfast this is likely to be vegetables! Even if you do not follow Slimming World this is still great advice for healthy living. Other plans suggest different methods of deciding on the food on your plate but all diets I have seen include a large number of vegetables.
The best vegetables are those that have a low-calorie density. Slimming World call these speed foods, other diets say non-starchy vegetables or other similar phrases. Basically, we are talking about the healthier vegetables – potatoes don’t count but butternut squash is much healthier for example!
This means if you eat 100g of spinach, for example, it is just 23 calories and obviously, 100g of anything would fill you up significantly. On the other hand, 100g of crisps, which would be just as filling, is around 536 calories!
What nutrients are in vegetables?
Whether you follow Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Noom, or any other diet, adding vegetables to your meal not only adds vitamin C and all the other nutrients that vegetables contain but will also help you lead a more balanced healthy lifestyle and potentially lose weight!
Many vegetables are also high in B vitamins, vitamin A, iron and other nutrients.
Don’t forget too that vegetables are high in fibre and as such you are less likely to get constipation and need my constipation tips!
Are frozen or canned vegetables healthy?
As long as they are not cooked or canned in any oil etc, frozen or canned vegetables have roughly the same nutritional value as fresh vegetables and are a great way to save money and time.
If you buy vegetables that have been reduced at the end of the day you can always freeze them to use in a recipe in the future.
The easy way to add vegetables to this falafel
If you are enjoying this homemade easy falafel recipe as a meal then the easiest way to add vegetables to it is by adding some salad. you can do this by either adding it on the side or as described above in a wrap, pitta or sandwich.
More recipes you might enjoy
If you like chickpeas have you tried my Spanish chickpeas recipe, cauliflower and chickpea curry or my one-pot chickpea curry? They along with many other recipes are in my comprehensive chickpea guide.
If you are vegetarian or want to eat more vegetarian or plant-based meals I have a full list of vegetarian and vegan recipes which are perfect on weight loss plans here.
We all love dessert, don’t we? I have a long list of Slimming World friendly desserts you can find here.
Which meal do you struggle with ideas for healthy meals whilst losing weight? I have lists of breakfast ideas and lunch ideas if that helps you.
Fancy 4 weeks of healthy lunches already planned out for you? Check this lunch plan out.
Weight loss Guides
I have a lot of Unofficial Slimming World guides and weight loss information along with support if you want to exercise for weight loss including if you have a condition like fibromyalgia.
Have a good look around and see how I can help you achieve your weight loss goals. Request my free resources to get you started too!
Here are some quick jump buttons to help you find my most popular Slimming World guides (all unofficial) and be sure to check out all my healthy recipes too.
Recipe
Homemade easy Falafel recipe with yoghurt dressing
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 Falafel (4 Portions) 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Moroccan
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
Delicious healthy and easy Falafel with a yoghurt dressing recipe
Instructions
Drain chickpeas well and put them in a food processor or blender until coarse.
Add spices, onion, garlic, herbs, lemon juice, baking powder and flour.
Mix well and season well with salt and pepper.
Chill the mixture for half an hour before moulding into balls or patty shapes. It should make 8-12 balls. If you struggle to make balls as it won’t stick together add a couple of tablespoons of water until it does. Be careful not to overdo it.
Bake the falafel in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 200°c
To make the dressing combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and serve.
Keywords: Slimming World, Syn free, side dish, snack,
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