Buzz
Until recently, I had never fully committed to watching an entire season of the Real Housewives series. I tried Beverly Hills, but it just didn’t click. However, driven by sheer boredom, I decided to give Salt Lake City a go, and now I’m kind of hooked on these affluent women living in Utah.
Apart from some complex views on organized religion, I don’t share much in common with these women. So imagine my surprise when I heard Heather Gay, the ‘good Mormon gone bad,’ order a falafel waffle—something I had been meaning to try for months. (I tend to pitch ideas, get approval, and then... never follow through.)
Seeing the ladies order falafel waffles—which I've affectionately dubbed ‘fawaffles’—was the nudge I needed to finally try making them myself, and they’re absolutely delicious.
If you have your own homemade falafel recipe, feel free to use it, but there’s something especially satisfying about waffling a simple just-add-water mix. While each brand may behave a bit differently in the waffle iron, the Trader Joe’s mix turns into a savory waffle that’s soft inside and slightly crispy on the outside in under two minutes. (Plus, each waffle packs 12 grams of protein, which is a win if your New Year’s resolution is to bulk up.)
Instructions may differ slightly depending on the brand, but you want to add just enough water to make the batter scoopable yet still soft. (For the Trader Joe’s mix, it's 1 cup of mix and 3/4 cup of water, covered and rested for about 30 minutes.)
Falafel batter tends to be stickier than most other waffle batters, so it’s a good idea to grease your waffle iron before cooking. (Just avoid sprays with lecithin if your waffle maker is nonstick; it can build up on the coating over time, making your once-nonstick waffle maker turn sticky.)
Preheat your waffle iron to medium and give both plates a quick spritz of oil. Once it’s hot, spoon 1/2 cup of batter into the center of the waffle iron and press firmly. Let it cook for 1 1/2-2 minutes, or until the fawaffle easily releases from the plates. (You can use a chopstick to help slide it onto a spatula.)
Serve it with an egg for a protein-packed breakfast, or go the classic falafel route with the usual sides. (I was out of tzatziki when I made mine, so I used sour cream instead. It was decent, but definitely would’ve been better with tzatziki.)
