Take falafel to the next level by grilling it into a melty, delicious pita "quesadilla" with tangy Girard's Greek Feta Vinaigrette! I serve this with lots of goodies like tahini sauce, baba ghanoush, and hummus for dipping.
Author: Willow Bird Baking
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 dash freshly ground black pepper
up to 1/4 cup olive oil for pan frying
3 pitas, split in half
3/4 cup Girard's Greek Feta Vinaigrette
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Make the falafel: Place all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until well combined, scraping the sides every now and then. Form the mixture into firm patties that are about 1/2-inch thick and 3 inches in diameter (you want to end up with 9-12 patties).
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, pan-fry half of the patties for around 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they're browned. Remove them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add more olive oil as needed to fry the second batch.
Assemble the quesadillas: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and place one half of a pita into it. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of Girard's Greek Feta Vinaigrette salad dressing over the pita. Crumble some feta over top. Arrange 3-4 falafel patties on the pita. Sprinkle on a bit more feta, especially on each patty. Top with the top half of the pita and then a heavy panini press or another skillet. Press down to flatten. Grill the quesadilla for 2-4 minutes per side (I have cast iron, so I started out with about 5 minutes as my skillet warmed up and then switched over to 2 minutes when it started retaining lots of heat) or until the quesadilla is toasty and the cheese is melty. Cut into four slices and serve with tomato-parsley salad, tahini sauce, baba ghanoush, hummus, Girard's Greek Feta Vinaigrette, or whatever you like!
Recipe by Willow Bird Baking at http://willowbirdbaking.com/2016/03/29/melty-falafel-quesadilla/