Easy falafel patties

I'm one day short of finishing up two weeks of the candida diet. I can sum up the experience so far as not as bad as I thought it would be except when you need lots of energy you'd normally get from carbs. Then it sucks. You see I'm a cyclist; spring has finally arrived; and I want to ride like the wind but instead I'm sucking pond water because of lack of energy. I guess that's why we normally eat carbs for energy. Well, there's other reasons too--like they taste yummy.

Oh well, the food isn't as bad as I thought it would be. What really amazes me is the improvement I'm seeing in my digestion. I originally went on the candida diet on the suggestion of my doctor because of chronic sinus infections. She said candida overgrowth could be contributing to my symptoms. We never even discussed how it could benefit my stomach.

I've even started eating raw veggies which I haven't done for years. And there have been no ill effects. I decided to give some spring baby greens and celery a try after my system seemed to be tolerating all the veggies and protein you are pretty much restricted to eating on the candida cleanse diet. And I've been gobbling up pumpkin and sunflower seeds like crazy with no problem. It's pretty amazing.

The sinus problem is a little more difficult. My head feels much better but I still have some congestion. But overall I've already seen improvement in how I feel. I guess that means that I need to keep sticking with this diet until those candida blobs hit the road.

Falafel patties (made from garbanzo beans) are one of my favorite foods I've been nibbling on since being on the candida low-carb diet. But you don't even have to be on a candida diet to enjoy this recipe. It's free of dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts and soy.

Falafel Patties with Tahini Sauce

Ingredients for Falafel Patties:

1 15-oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained (get the low-sodium ones)
2-3 clove minced garlic
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sea salt, coarse black pepper
2 T. garbanzo bean flour
1 -2 T. canola oil
pan spray


Ingredients for Tahini Sauce:

1/2 cup tahini
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. parsley, finely chopped

For the falafel patties, combine the garbanzo beans, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper in a food processor. Add flour and mix well into a thick paste. Form the mixture into balls, about the size of ping-pong balls, and flatten with your hands. Fry in a lightly oiled pan until golden brown. Serve falafel with tahini sauce.

To prepare the tahini sauce, combine all the ingredients in a food processor. If too thick, add a little warm water.

These are too yummy. Even my husband was grabbing them up and eating them. I had to keep him away so I'd have some left over for myself.