We’re doing something a little bit differently for today’s Loving the BITE.  Thursday’s are usually the day that our resident sports nutritionist, Kelli, provides you with another one of her fantastically healthy recipes along with the details on why it is good for you.  But today I’m going to post a review about the fantastic falafel wrap I had over at Big Daddy’s here in Austin.

Our family first discovered Big Daddy’s a couple of months ago and immediately became huge fans of their amazing food and great service.  You wouldn’t think that a vegetarian eater like me would dig a burger and bar type joint…..but Big Daddy’s is different.  Every burger on the menu can be made using their homemade veggie burger, and I can tell you that it is the best that I’ve ever tasted.  On top of that, they have falafel on the menu….and with me being the biggest falafel nut out there, you just know that I was super impressed.  I am Fuelled by Falafel, remember?

I loved Big Daddy’s so much that I contacted the owner to see if they’d be interested in being a sponsor over here at Loving the Bike.  They liked what we were doing and I loved their food….and the relationship was sealed.  But as always, you know that any review or recommendation we give over here on this site is completely genuine and 100% pure….so even though they are a sponsor, we love Big Daddy’s for who they are and not because of the sponsorship.

Okay, time to get into the review of the Falafel Wrap.  You know, I’ve always thought it would be cool to be a food critic….and now I’m actually getting my chance.  As I mentioned, I was very impressed that Big Daddy’s had falafel on the menu and my first question for Executive Chef, Justin Trapani, was to find out what inspired that decision.  It turns out that when Justin was younger he spent six months living in Greece.  Living in Athens and travelling the country led to a love affair with the Mediterranean flavors of the country and he knew he had to incorporate them into the menu.

in all my menu designs i try to include some signature mediterranean/greek/turkish elements. you’ll find these in our fry-spice, gyro-burger, kebabs, pita appetizer, chickpea caesar salad, and of course the falafel was a logical choice, since, though i take pride in our veggie burger (which also has a mediterranean flavor profile), a burger place can never have too few vegetarian options.

In all my menu designs I try to include some signature mediterranean/greek/turkish elements.  You’ll find these in our fry-spice, gyro-burger, kebabs, pita appetizer, chickpea caesar salad, and of course the falafel was a logical choice.

The recipe is a pretty standard one, obviously comprised mostly of garbanzo beans, and including fresh herbs, lemon juice, olive oil and tahini. One slant may be that we use confited garlic (cooked slowly into a rich, succulent texture) instead of raw, which adds a particular smoky-sweetness that very few other preparations can achieve.

So you might not think there is a connection to cycling with this one….but by the time I’m done with my story on falafel, I will get to the part where it has aided in making me a stronger and healthier cyclist.

I’m not quite a full out vegetarian just yet….but I’m getting there.  I said no to red meat back in 1998 and haven’t missed it since.  It all started back when I lived in St. Kitts the first time.  Red meat was not so readily accessible and if it was, the price tag was a little more than I could afford on my tiny little beach job wage. I ate a lot of beans and rice during that time, and splurged on chicken whenever I could.

A few years after giving up red meat, I came across a food known as falafel (a chickpea based patty).  I right away fell in love with it and started making falafel pitas a part of my weekly meal plan.  At that time, I was using falafel mix to create the patty’s and then popping them into a pita with cucumbers and a variety of sauces.  There is a lot of different companies putting out falafel mix on the market, but I would go with whatever was available at that time.  It was at this time in my life that I became a passionate road cyclist.

Jumping ahead a few years we were now living in Austin, and my love of falafel stayed strong….growing from something I ate once a week to being on the menu at least a couple times per week.  I still used the dried falafel mix in a box method, but I switched from pitas to wraps.  By this time I also realized that the absolute best falafel box mix was Casbah.  No matter where I was living, I would search this brand out no matter how hard it was to find.  I had now been cycling seriously for about 3 years….getting stronger and faster each year.

We moved back to Canada in 2007 and falafel came right along with me.  Still eating it about 3 times a week, and loving every minute of it.  I started to realize that I was eating more and more vegetarian meals and less and less fish and chicken.  There were still improvements in my cycling, but not quite as severe as a few years prior.

That brings us to today.  Falafel and vegetarian meals now make up about 95% of my intake and at the age of 40 I feel better than I ever have in my life. The biggest switch I made in my falafel eating is that I now make my own.  The box type variety is fine, but when you’re eating it as often as I do, the enriched flour and dried ingredients don’t provide the goodness a body needs.  I took some recipes I had found and created my own mixture that smells great, tastes great, and provides incredible nutrition (see below for recipe).

Okay, so what does all this falafel talk have to do with cycling?  Well, one of the most important ingredients in becoming a better cyclist is becoming a better you.  It’s not for everyone, but I have drastically seen and felt immense benefits and improvements to the way my body looks and behaves over the course of these past 12 years, and I know it is because of my diet.  It’s been a slow progression and I’m still not totally a vegetarian….I might not ever be a full vegetarian….but I like what being 95% of the way there has done for me and what it has done for my athletic performance. For me, that means being better on the bike.  I’m fueled by falafel and loving it.

Falafel is high in protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber. Chickpeas are also low in fat, cholesterol, and salt. The key nutrients are calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, Vitamin C, zinc, thiamine, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B, and folate.

Darryl’s Homemade Falafel Recipe (I don’t measure so I’m guessing a little on the amounts)

• 2 cups chickpeas (soaked and boiled) or 1 Can (19 oz) chickpeas
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 1/8 cup chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• A couple pieces of Kombu (optional)
• A little over 1/4 cup organic flour
• A little under 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp baking powder

Blend it all up in a food processor or blender.  To cook, place mounds of mixture on a frying pan (I go with no oil on the pan) and cook sort of like a pancake, flipping over once cooked on the first side.  Put the patty’s into a pita, wrap or just by themselved…and add fresh vegetables (Spinach, cucumbers, whatever). Pour on one of your favorite sauces and you’re good to go.  Try experimenting with the sauce options and see what you like.