Boost your energy with falafel balls

Want to up your energy levels? Try making these falafels packed with energy-boosting ingredients
If you’re always fighting those 3pm sugar cravings, you could have low energy levels and need a quick pick-me-up.

But rather than reaching for the biscuit tin, give this tasty falafel recipe a go. They’re packed with vitamin B-rich ingredients, and we need B vitamins to help our bodies convert food into energy.¹ Good sources of B vitamins include chickpeas, spinach, eggs and lentils.^2,3 Serve with some beetroot hummus⁴ to complete your high-energy mid-afternoon snack.

Handpicked content: Why take a vitamin-B complex?

Energy-boosting falafel balls

Makes 20-25 balls
Nutrients per ball (based on 22 balls):

• 200g yellow lentils


• 2 spring onions, finely chopped


• 4 garlic cloves, crushed


• 1 tsp ground cumin


• 1 tsp ground coriander


• ⅛ tsp allspice


• 1 x 400g black beans, tinned


• 1 x 200g chickpeas, tinned


• ½ tsp baking powder


• 4 tbsp plain flour
• small bunch of parsley
• 100g spinach


• 1 egg yolk (optional)


• 50g plain flour, to coat


• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°fan. In a large pan of cold water, add the yellow lentils – washed beforehand – and boil for 10 minutes. The lentils should still keep their shape and be slightly soft.

Step 2
In the bowl of a food processor, add the spring onions, garlic cloves, spices and a little seasoning, and blitz to break up. Add the lentils, chickpeas, black beans, baking powder, flour, parsley, spinach and egg yolk (if using), and pulse until the mixture comes together. It needs to mix well but still be a little chunky.

Step 3
Roll the mixture into 25g balls, then chill in the fridge on a lined baking tray for at least 30 minutes. Once the balls have chilled, roll them in the plain flour until well coated.

Step 4
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the balls in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer to a baking tray and bake in the oven for a further 5-7 minutes, or until crisp on the outside. Remove from the oven and either serve immediately or enjoy when cool.

Advice is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP before trying any remedies.

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Sources

1. NHS Choices. B vitamins and folic acid. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/
2. As Source 1
3. Berkeley Wellness. Lentils: Full of Fibre and Folate. Available from: http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/article/lentils-full-fiber-and-folate
4. Murphy M, et al. Whole beetroot consumption acutely improves running performance. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22709704