Beet Falafel with Mint Tzatziki
I fala-fel in love! Who is the lucky gent, you ask? Why no other than this Beet Falafel with Mint Tzatziki!
Blame it on the rain. Not only one of my top three favorite Milli Vanilli songs, but also the theme Austin’s theme song these days. It won’t stop raining! I did not move here for this! (It was for the queso and boys in cowboy hats, duh). I don’t want to jinx it, but it looks like the sun is shining for the foreseeable future, just in time for summer!
I’ve got some epic summer plans in the works. Concerts, river floating, even partying with my other BF Andy Cohen! You’ll see. It’s going to be epic!
Even though I love hanging out in Austin, to me, summer is all about traveling. Last year, I was lucky enough to be in Israel (read about it here and here). As you can see, I ate well. Good thing we walked it off! (More or less.) Hopefully I’ll venture back to the Motherland soon, but in the meantime, no reason I can’t recreate my favorite Israeli dishes at home. Keeping a camel in my backyard is a different story though. 
In the hot months I want fresh, easy to make food, which leaves more time for for the aforementioned summertime fun!
Baller. 
Fry, baby, fry!
Beet falafel! And a healthy mint tzatziki sauce (which you are going to want to slather on everything, and I’m not judging). I topped my falafel with hardboiled egg, cilantro, and some everything bagel spice because why not, right?
These were perfect- crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a hint of beet flavor. 
Yes!
I was hoping these would be more pink, but look when you bust them open. Red falafel!! Close enough, right?
I ate most of these in one sitting. Now I’m fala-full!
Beet Falafel with Mint Tzatziki
Ingredients
- For mint tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt 2% or whole
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves if you don’t like cilantro, use parsley or dill would be great too
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup shredded cucumber remove the seeds, dried well
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For falafel:
- 1 packet Knorr Falafel Mix
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup shredded raw beets dried well
- 2 teaspoons sumac optional, adds a lemony flavor
- Oil for frying such as canola
- For garnish:
- Everything bagel spice
- Chopped hard boiled egg
- Mint cilantro, etc.
- Pita
Instructions
-
First, make the mint tzatziki sauce. You can even make it the day before, it just tastes better as it absorbs flavor.
-
Place the Greek yogurt, mint, cilantro and lemon juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Then stir in cucumber, and season with salt and pepper to taste. refrigerate until ready to serve.
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To make the falafel, clean out the food processor and puree the falafel mix, water shredded beets and sumac if desired until combined. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb the water.
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Form falafel mix into 1-inch balls or small patties (you should get between 9-12 balls, I got 10. Mine were a little big!)
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Heat 1/2 inch oil to 350 degrees F in a heavy bottomed pot. Fry falafel 2 minutes per side until browned and crunchy. Blot off excess grease and season with salt.
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Serve falafel in pita with mint tzatziki sauce, more herbs, chopped hard boiled egg, or whatever else you like!
I partnered with Knorr/Lipton Kosher on this post. Thanks for your support. Jew are my favorite!
