Mini Southwestern Falafel are super tasty treats with a nice amount of heat and a wonderful avocado spread that complements the falafel perfectly
Wow – my son even asked for extra helpings of these! They are not only tasty, but really cute. I was hoping to slide them into the mini-pocket breads, but that doesn’t work; they are too fat. You have to split each mini-pocket. The spread is really, really good and you may want to make extra.
I first made these with hot green chiles, tasting before cooking them. After cooking, they were actually a bit milder than before. With hot chiles, I’d use about 3 tbsp and with medium 1/4 cup. You might want to make them hotter or milder; I think they work either way.
You can also make these full-sized. Just use 2 full-sized pitas, cut each in half, and shape the bean mixture into 4 patties. Otherwise it’s the same.
- 1 (15-ounce) can white kidney beans, drained
- ½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup finely crushed tortilla chips (separated into ¼ + ¾ cups)
- ¼ cup medium hot diced green chile
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- Spread
- ½ cup mashed peeled avocado
- ¼ cup diced plum tomato
- 2 tbsp diced red onion
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tsp fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 mini-pitas (Pitettes), split
- To prepare patties, place kidney beans in a medium bowl; partially mash with a fork. Add Monterey Jack cheese, ¼ cup crushed tortilla chips, chiles, green onions, cilantro, cumin, and egg white; stir until well combined.
- Form into patties about 2 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick and set aside on a large plate. Pour the ¾ cup crushed tortilla chips in a bowl. Roll each patty in the tortilla chips and place back on the plate.
- In a large skillet, heat half the canola oil to medium-high heat and fry half the patties at a time to a golden brown, turning to brown both sides. When done, place on paper towels. Replenish the oil between batches.
- To prepare spread, while patties cook, combine the avocado, plum tomato, red onion, sour cream, lime juice, and salt. Place 1 patty in each pitette. Spread about a tablespoon on each patty or serve the spread on the side so each person can fix his own.
Mini Southwestern Falafel are awesome tasty treats with a nice amount of heat and a wonderful avocado spread that complements the falafel sandwich perfectly
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