Super Bowl Falafel Nibblers

43rd Super Bowl championship game of the National Football League (NFL)


Tomorrow is the 43rd Super Bowl Sunday and this year it will be at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It's a strength vs strength match up between Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.

We have Super Bowl Buffalo Chicken Wings and Healthy Super Bowl Falafel Nibblers in the works for the event. My Super Bowl Falafel Nibblers recipe is adapted from Guy Fieri's Falafel in Pita with Yogurt Sauce. When I first made this, I used red onions and added orange zest. This is my version and you might want to try it or to stick with Guy's original recipe which is also good. The falafel mixture will be sticky so chilling is an important step to make it easy to shape into balls. When frying, avoid crowding the falafel balls in the pan so it does not absorb too much oil. I also roll the falafel lightly in cornstarch prior to frying for a crunchy finish.

2 tablespoons canola oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans chick peas, drained
1 egg
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 cups freshly chopped parsley leaves
3/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons cornstarch
oil for deep frying
your choice of Cucumber Ranch Dressing

Saute the garlic, red onions and the red bell peppers in 2 tablespoons oil. Cook until the onions are transparent.

Set aside 1/4 cup of the drained chick peas and place the rest in a food processor. Add an egg, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, salt and pepper and pulse to a coarse consistency. Add orange zest, flour, parsley and cilantro and pulse some more. Chop roughly the reserved chick peas and add to the mixture.

Transfer the mixture into a bowl and stir in the sauted red pepper-onion mixture. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill falafel at least 20 minutes. When you're ready to fry them, form falafel dough into balls and roll lightly in cornstarch.

Heat 1/2 inch of canola oil in a thick-bottom pan. When the oil is hot enough, add a couple of falafel balls and cook till lightly golden brown all over. Don't crowd the falafel into the pan. If the oil temperature drops too much, the falafel balls will be very oily. Drain on paper towels and serve right away with Cucumber Ranch Dressing.