When you think of fast food in the U.S. what foods does one usually think of?
Pizza, burgers, hot dogs, tacos and fried chicken.

But, what if you were in a Middle Eastern country, what’s the most popular
fast food in say -Syria, Lebanon, or Israel?
If you said Falafel, give yourself a pat on the back.

And what is a falafel?
It’s a popular “fast food” shaped into a ball or small patty and it’s a
mixture of chickpeas, fava beans, spices and herbs, and if heart health is
a concern, you may want to have fewer servings of burgers and fries and
pizza and more Falafel.

Yes, according to recent research, the people of Middle Eastern countries may
enjoy better heart health, thanks to a diet of healthier meats, fish, plenty of vegetables,
and beans, (hummus and Falafel) and if you too, want to lower your odds of experiencing
heart trouble, then you may want to copy down and make the following falafel recipe.

The recipe is different in that it contains sweet potatoes, quinoa and kale and is baked
and not fried, (which makes it healthier).

The Recipe:
A Sweet Potato Falafel!

Ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups of chopped kale, remove the stems
1/4 cup of parsley, fresh
1 can of chickpeas, (rinsed and drained)
1 cup of cooked sweet potato
3/4 cup of cooked quinoa
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbs. of tahini*
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
cooking spray (Pam)
4 Tortillas, or 4 pita breads, or 4 large lettuce leaves
* Look for tahini- sesame paste in the International Food aisle,
at your grocery store.
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To make:
Heat oven to 400*F. Add garlic, kale and parsley to a food processor,
(or a blender) blend about 1 min. Add the chickpeas and pulse several
times, until the chickpeas resembles crumbs, not a smooth paste.
Put half of the contents (from the processor) into a medium-sized
bowl. Add the sweet potato, quinoa, cumin, lemon juice, tahini,
salt and pepper to the processor. Blend for 30 secs. or 1 min.
Add to mixture in the bowl, stir to combine. Leave alone for 5 mins.
Put parchment paper on the the baking sheet and spray with the cooking
spray. Form falafel mixture into ping pong–sized balls and place on the
baking sheet. Spray each falafel with cooking spray. Bake 10 mins. each side.
Remove from the oven and let cool for a few mins. Serve them as a single
food item or on tortillas, pita bread or lettuce leaves.
Enough for 4 servings.

And now, here’s a little more info on some of the ingredients in this recipe
and how they’ll benefit your heart.
a) Orange Foods-
Sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and butternut squash could lower your risk
of heart-damaging inflammation by 40%. These orange veggies contain carotenoids,
nutrients that help your white blood cells produce just enough inflammation to kill
off viruses and other germs, but not so much that your own tissues are harmed.
b) Garlic and Onions-
If you indulge in a couple of slices of pizza and muffins made with white flour,
you may want to eat more garlic and onions, why?
Both foods contain unique compounds that inhibit inflammation in the digestive
tract–even on days when you eat foods that are known to be inflammatory triggers.
Another benefit of both veggies- they lower your risk of ever getting colon or
stomach cancer by 45%.
c) Chickpeas-
Or other beans like navy, cannellini, red, or pinto beans contain saponins, plant
compounds that help your liver quickly disarm inflammation and expel it before it
can damage the lining of artery walls or cause other trouble. Eating chickpeas
(or other beans) 2 to 4 times a week lowers your levels of harmful inflammation
and your heart disease risk by 25% in less than a month.
d) Quinoa-
Technically it’s a seed, but classified as a grain, it doesn’t cause the spikes in
blood sugar like rice and potatoes and therefore, it doesn’t increase the levels
of harmful inflammation in your system.
e) Non-Food Tip-
And now that you have a recipe to help lower the inflammation in your system, it’s
important that you know some of the signs (of too much inflammation)
The signs:
* Stiff muscles, achy joints or frequent headaches
* Unable to lose weight, even after following a strict diet and exercising for
30 to 90 mins. each day
* Constantly tired, even after sleeping for 6 to 8 each night
* Frequent digestive problems like bloating, indigestion or constipation
* Dull or rash-prone skin
If you have these symptoms, you may want to consult with your health-care
provider and find a way to lower the inflammation in your system.
Not only will your skin, weight, and joints thank you, but so will your heart.

Sources:
* Young Kim, M.D.
* Journal of Neurology
* Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis
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And lastly, if you want more recipes using the tasty and popular sweet potato,
look for it in our store. To access it, go to buy recipes (at the top of the blog)
and when you get there (our store) look for the image-
The Incredible Orange Tuber, Healing and Preventing
Illnesses and Diseases Using the Sweet Potato.