Falafel

I vary up my Falafel recipe by alternating the beans proportion (fava/lima/garbanzo) I throw in. I buy them dry, then soak them overnight. This time I used:

1 and 1/2 cup lima beans

few whole peppercorn

1 tsp whole coriander seeds

half jalapeno

3 large garlic pods

2/3 rd of a parsley bunch

1/4 cup yellow lentils (called channa in Hindi)

3 tbsp gram flour (called 'besan' in Hindi, bought from the Indian store)

salt to taste

Blend all of this with as little water as possible. The more water content, the harder it is to hold the batter together. 

Make a small test ball to see if the batter is spreading in the oil. If yes, add more gram flour to help bind. Restaurants have a metal fixture to help them make evenly sized balls. I just oil my palms a little, then cup in the batter between both palms and slide it in.

Let them brown on both sides on a medium flame.

I serve them with fried potatoes and eggplant to stuff in pita pockets. I also chop up cucumber and tomato dressed with tahini (sesame paste), fresh lettuce, olives and pepperoncinis and a middle eastern hot sauce.

Health benefits:

Falafel are full of protein, if you want to actually cut the fat with the frying, I recommend spreading the batter like a pancake on a non-stick with very little oil. Lima beans in particular are high in manganese (good for bone development, important role in metabolism), fiber, protein and iron. They also provide good carbohydrates - the ones that help in metabolism and promote weight loss.