Crispy turkey falafel cakes

I love falafels, but I don’t feel great about eating a lot of deep-fried foods. I read a lot about nutrition, and let’s just say, deep-fried foods cause all sorts of terrifying things, like free radicals and visceral fat and probably the entirety of my cellulite. Long story short, I now generally like to try to make foods crispy without adding a lot of oil.

Insert these crispy turkey falafel cakes!

Full of falafel flavour and crunch but BAKED. They are baked, people! Also, a great way to use up leftover roast turkey or cooked chicken.

Makes 4 servings

A few seasonings and a creamy tahini-yogurt sauce transform leftover turkey into crispy baked (not fried!) cakes that taste just like falafels. Serve on a bed of baby kale or baby spinach, or stuffed in a pita with your favourite falafel toppings, such as chopped tomatoes, pickles, sliced onions and shredded lettuce.

Ingredients

1 cup mashed potatoes

1 egg

2 green onions, finely chopped

1-1/4 cups seasoned panko crumbs, divided

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided

1 clove garlic, grated or pressed

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

1-1/2 cups diced leftover roast turkey

Olive oil spray

2 mini cucumbers, diced

Tahini-Yogurt Sauce:

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 tbsp tahini

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 clove garlic, grated or pressed

Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In bowl, mix together potatoes, egg, onions, ¼ cup of the panko crumbs, half of the parsley, garlic, cumin, and turmeric; season with salt and cayenne, to taste. Stir in turkey.

2. Place remaining panko crumbs in shallow dish

3. Scoop mixture by generous ½ cup into 4 mounds and shape into ¾-inch thick patties. Place patties in panko crumbs, turning and patting to coat all over. Transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheet; spritz with olive oil spray. Gently turn patties over and spritz again.

4. Bake in 425°F (220°C) oven, turning once halfway through cooking, until light golden and hot throughout, about 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in bowl, whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and garlic; season with salt and cayenne, to taste.

6. Serve turkey cakes with sauce; sprinkle with cucumber and remaining parsley to serve.

Crispy turkey falafel cakes | recipe