falafel pita sandwiches with tzatziki

Lunch

Falafel Pita Sandwiches with Tzatziki

This delightful vegetarian sandwich boasts tons of flavor from the yogurt sauce and quick-pickled veggies, and it's only 400 calories! You can make the pickled vegetables, falafel mixture and tzatziki sauce ahead of time for easy meal-prep lunches or dinner later in the week.

Ingredients

1 cup thinly sliced carrot
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
½ cup white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups canned no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
2 scallions, trimmed and sliced
1 large egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup plain low-fat greek yogurt
¼ cup chopped cucumber
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 (6 1/2 inch) whole-wheat pitas, halved

Directions

To prepare pickled vegetables: Combine carrot, onion, vinegar, sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
To prepare falafel: Place chickpeas, parsley, scallions, egg, flour, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides, until a coarse mixture that holds together when pressed forms. (The mixture will be moist.) Using a generous 1/4 cup each, form the chickpea mixture into 8 patties.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook until the bottoms are golden and beginning to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes more.
Meanwhile, to prepare tzatziki sauce and serve: Combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, lemon juice and salt in a medium bowl. Warm pitas, if desired. Divide the pickled vegetables and patties among the pita halves and serve with the sauce.