Lemon-herb tofu with Mediterranean rice
Herb-roasted tofu with rice, courgette and parsley.
About 45 min · 470 kcal · 31 g protein per serving
Vegan
Baked falafel with tahini and pita
Baked chickpea patties with cumin and coriander, with tahini and pita.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 22 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the mixture holds its shape after a 15 minute rest
- Confirm patties firm up in 22 to 28 minutes at 200°C
- Photograph the finished plate
- Time
- About 1 hr 8 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 590 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 24 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains gluten, sesame. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- pitas. Pita can contain soya or sesame; check the label.
Cooking steps
Drain and dry the chickpeas well. Put them in a food processor with the onion, garlic, cumin and coriander and pulse to a coarse paste, stopping while it is still textured. Do not let it become smooth.
Stir in the chickpea flour and leave the mixture to stand for 15 minutes so it firms up.
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan) and line a tray.
Shape eight patties about 2 cm thick, set them on the tray and brush the tops with the oil.
Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, turning once, until firm and browned on both sides.
Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice and cold water until it pours, and serve with the warmed pita.
The useful detail
Pulse to a coarse paste and stop early. Processed smooth, the mixture bakes into a dense heavy puck; left textured it stays light, which is the whole difference between good and bad falafel.
Make it work for you
One serving is Four patties with a pita and half the tahini sauce. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Plain flour instead of chickpea flour
Binds just as well, with less protein and a milder flavour.
Per serving: about 5 kcal less, about 2 g less protein, about 1 g less fat.
Allergens: Adds gluten.
Flatbread instead of pita
No pocket, so wrap rather than fill.
Per serving: about 15 kcal more, about the same protein, about 2 g more fat.
Greek yoghurt whisked into the tahini, 100 g
Milder and looser, and it adds protein.
Allergens: Adds milk.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A baked version rather than a deep fried one, which is where nearly all the difference in calories between this and the original sits.
| Energy | 590 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 24 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| of which saturates | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 90 g |
| of which sugars | not calculated |
| Fibre | 18 g |
| Sodium | 700 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| chickpeas | 350 g | FDC 173800Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, canned, drained solids | 487 kcal | 24.7 g |
| onion | 80 g | FDC 170000Onions, raw | 32 kcal | 0.9 g |
| garlic | 10 g | FDC 169230Garlic, raw | 15 kcal | 0.6 g |
| ground cumin | 2 g | FDC 170923Spices, cumin seedFoodData Central records cumin seed; ground cumin is the same seed, milled. | 8 kcal | 0.4 g |
| fresh coriander | 15 g | FDC 169997Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw | 3 kcal | 0.3 g |
| chickpea flour | 30 g | FDC 174288Chickpea flour (besan) | 116 kcal | 6.7 g |
| olive oil | 9 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 80 kcal | 0.0 g |
| tahini | 20 g | FDC 168604Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, type of kernels unspecified | 118 kcal | 3.5 g |
| lemon juice | 15 g | FDC 167747Lemon juice, raw | 3 kcal | 0.1 g |
| pitas | 120 g | FDC 174916Bread, pita, whole-wheat | 314 kcal | 11.8 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 1177 kcal | 48.9 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. of which sugars could not be calculated, because one ingredient’s record does not cover it; the row above says which. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. The patties freeze well once baked and cooled, and reheat from frozen in a hot oven.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
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About 25 min · 355 kcal · 18 g protein per serving
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