As you guys might remember, one of the first recipes I shared was for a falafel bowl that used Trader Joe's falafel mix. A few months back a food blogger who i've been following for a while (broccyourbody) shared a recipe for falafel tacos, and what got my attention was the way she cooked the falafel (she made the dough as the box instructs but then cooked them in a frying pan as opposed to in the oven). I then got the idea to make deconstructed Falafel burgers. These are super healthy and versatile, I definitely recommend giving them a try.
Additionally, as I've mentioned I'm gluten free, so these falafel burgers sit on a bed of quinoa, but you could consider putting them in pita pockets or upon naan bread if you like. One last exciting thing about this recipe is that it makes use of one of Trader Joe's new products, Avocado Tzaziki dip.
What's on your grocery list?
- Trader Joe's Falafel Mix
- Frozen Sweet White Cut Corn
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Kalamata Olives in Water (if you like olives)
- Small Red Onion
- Crumbled Feta Cheese with Mediterranean Herbs
- Avocado Tzatziki Dip
- Garlic Hummus (optional)
- Base of some kind: Quinoa (I used this), greens, Naan Bread, or Pita Bread
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Trader Joe's Falafel Mix
- 3/8 Cup Water
- 1/4 cup Frozen Sweet White Cut Corn
- a handful of Fresh Tomatoes
- 8 Kalamata Olives in Water (if you like olives)
- Red Onion
- 1-2 spoonfuls Crumbled Feta Cheese with Mediterranean Herbs
- Avocado Tzatzki Dip
- Garlic Hummus (optional)
- Base of some kind: I used Quinoa
Instructions:
Mix 1/2 cup of Falafel Mix with 3/8 cup of water in a medium sized mixing bowl, until well combined. Cover with a paper towel and let sit for 30-60 minutes (30 is plenty!). You can wait the 30 minutes, or prep the rest of the ingredients.
Cut a handful of tomatoes into small pieces, add to a small bowl, and let frozen corn thaw.
Once falafel mix is close to being ready- Sauté 1/4 cup of frozen corn along with a tablespoon of olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper. While corn is cooking, use a fork to scoop 8 olives (more if you like) out of the jar then cut olives in half and half again, next add olives to corn and sauté the two together. Add crumbled feta and red onion, and sauté for another minute. Pour mixture into the bowl with tomatoes and stir until well combined.
If you are using quinoa for your base heat 1/4 cup red quinoa with 1/2 cup water in a microwave safe bowl for about 4 minutes. Then remove from microwave, stir, and microwave for another 2 minutes. Then continue, checking on quinoa, stirring, and heating in 1 minute intervals until quinoa is cooked through.
Heat oil in a large pan, form falafel mix into burger patties, and sauté on medium high heat for 2 minutes, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until patties are cooked through.
Serving is completely up to you, I put a bed of quinoa on my plate, the burger on top, then topped my burger with the corn/tomato/feta salad, along with the avocado tztaziki dip and a little more feta. You could put a scoop of hummus on top of the burger first if you like.
Let me know what you think and if you make this recipe what variations you use!
