By F&B’s Josefa Lorca

Being a premier athletic Club, looking after the health and fitness goals of our Members is our utmost priority.

With this view in mind, our Athletic department Team is focused on curating easy and delicious recipes that are made majorly out of fresh ingredients and real food.

On the top of our list are these healthy, plant-based and easy-to-make Falafels. It is one of the most popular Mediterranean dishes which is usually enjoyed with some very traditional mouth-watering dips (recipes shared below).

For Falafels:

Ingredients

  • 250g dried chickpeas or dried split broad beans
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 leek, roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
  • 1 small chilli, roughly chopped (deseeded if you don’t like it too hot)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp sumac
  • A good handful of chopped coriander
  • A good handful of chopped parsley
  • 80g gram flour
  • 100ml vegetable oil

Method

  1. Soak the chickpeas in cold water for 8 hrs, or overnight.
  2. Drain the chickpeas and pulse with the bicarb in a food processor until roughly chopped. Remove 3/4 of the mixture and set aside.
  3. Add the garlic, vegetables, spices and herbs to the remaining mixture in the processor and purée to a paste. Then stir the paste into the rough purée of chickpeas, add the gram flour, and seasonings and mix them well.
  4. Use your hands to form the mixture into patties (there should be enough to make about 16). Heat the oven to 110C/90C fan and put the patties to bake after slightly brushing them with some oil. Alternatively, heat a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add a small quantity of oil to it. Fry for 2 mins each side until crisp.

To fully relish this hearty Mediterranean delight, pair it with these flavoursome dips:

1. Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients: Greek yogurt (regular or plant-based alternative), 1 English cucumber, Lemon juice, Chopped dill, and 1 garlic clove (grated or finely minced).

Method:

  1. First, place the diced cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle a bit of salt on top. Let it sit for 10 minutes to release any extra moisture.
  2. Meanwhile, mix the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, dill, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  3. Drain the cucumber, then add it into the bowl with the above mixture and stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.

2. Hummus:

Ingredients: Canned Chickpeas, Chickpea Liquid/ aquafaba, Tahini, 1 Lemon, 1 large clove of garlic (grated or finely minced), Cumin.

Method:

  1. Drain the chickpeas. Make sure to drain the chickpeas in a colander that sits over a large bowl. This is necessary to reserve all the chickpea liquid (aquafaba), so you can add some back to the blender.
  2. Add all the ingredients to the blender. Add the chickpeas, chickpea liquid, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt to the blender.
  3. Blend until creamy. Turn your blender on high after 30 seconds, it should be fully blended. If you’d like a thinner consistency, just add a bit more chickpea liquid or water until it’s your desired consistency.

Quick hack: Adding aquafaba (the liquid left in the can of chickpeas) is the key to getting the creamiest hummus ever with its emulsifying and thickening properties!

3. Babaganoush:

Ingredients: 1 medium eggplant, Sea salt, Olive oil (for roasting), 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 large clove of garlic (grated or finely minced), 2 Tbsp tahini, 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, parsley or basil (optional).

 Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to high to medium broil and position a rack at the top of the oven.
  2. Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and sprinkle with sea salt and place in a colander in the sink to drain any excess liquid. After 10 minutes, rinse slightly and then pat dry between two towels.
  3. Arrange it on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Roast for 5-10 minutes in the oven, turning once or twice until the eggplant is softened and golden brown. Remove from the oven, stack and wrap the rounds in foil to lock in moisture – wait 5 minutes.
  4. Peel away most of the skin of the eggplant and add it to a food processor. It should be soft and tender and the skin should come off easily.
  5. Add lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and a pinch of salt and mix until creamy. At last, add the herbs and pulse to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Hope you thoroughly enjoy this recipe. We will be waiting for your feedback on this.

Contact our AD team at addesk@tattersallsclub.org if you have any questions about these recipes or if you would like to consult them on building a more personalised diet plan for yourself.