Buffalo Falafel Subs

When you think about going to a baseball game and the food you might eat that day, you probably think of hot dogs, peanuts or nachos.

You probably don’t think of falafel (a Middle Eastern fritter made from chickpeas), but you guys know I love a mashup (see also: gyro pizza), so baseball and falafel have become intertwined!

You see, right near the stadium where the Detroit Tigers play is a bar/restaurant that serves amazing falafel pita sandwiches.

They also have chicken shawarma, but I prefer falafel because they’re a little lighter than the shawarma.

They don’t weigh me down quite as much, and leave me with plenty of room to get a big ol’ ice cold beer at the ballpark.

This bar with the falafel also serves more traditional sports fan fare like buffalo wings. Upon studying the menu, I came up with the idea to combine the falafel with buffalo flavors.

I mean, why the heck not? I stuck with some classic Middle Eastern flavors for the falafel – chickpeas are the main component of the fritters, along with garlic, cumin and lemon zest.

But after pan-frying the falafel, I tossed them in a generous bath of buffalo sauce.

Because I wanted a double-dose of buffalo flavor, I also stirred buffalo sauce into Sabra Classic Hummus. This buffalo hummus mixture was spread on submarine buns, then the falafel were piled in.

The sandwich is finished with crispy Romaine lettuce, juicy tomato and a bit of crumbled blue cheese (any extra cheese can be folded into blue cheese mashed potatoes for another meal).

While any day is a perfectly good day to enjoy these Buffalo Falafel Subs, TODAY is National Hummus Day!

The Classic hummus variety I used here is super versatile for recipes such as this one, but for just snacking with pita chips, I’m partial to the Olive Tapanade Hummus and the Lemon Twist variety (I’m nothing if not consistent, right?)

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Buffalo Falafel Subs

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3 green onions, roughly chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce, divided
• 3/4 cup hummus
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 submarine buns, split
• 2 cups thinly sliced Romaine lettuce
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Instructions

1. In bowl of food processor fitted with knife blade attachment, pulse chickpeas, garlic, onions, egg, flour, parsley, baking powder, cumin, lemon zest, salt, black pepper and cayenne until chickpeas are very finely chopped. You don't want the mixture to be a smooth paste, but you do want the chickpeas to be finely ground. 
2. Place 1/2 cup buffalo sauce in large bowl. In separate small bowl, stir together hummus and remaining 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce.
3. In large pot or high-sided skillet, heat 2 inches of oil to 370 degrees F over medium-high heat. Form chickpea mixture into balls and slightly flatten each ball (each ball should be about 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons mixture; you should have about 24 falafel). In batches, drop falafel into hot oil and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until brown and crisp, turning once. Transfer falafel to paper-towel lined plate and continue frying remaining falafel.
4. When all falafel are fried, transfer to large bowl with buffalo sauce and toss until well combined.
5. Spread inside of submarine buns with hummus mixture. Divide lettuce over hummus, then divide falafel between buns (5-6 falafel per bun). Top with tomatoes and blue cheese and serve immediatley. 

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Disclosure: This was a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sabra. Sponsored posts help me pay for the costs associated with this blog (groceries…lots of groceries), and help support me as I pursue a career in recipe development and food photography. All opinions are 100% my own.