Nate's Mediterranean Bites Review | Frozen Falafel

Frozen convenience foods are a lifesaver on busy days when you just don't have the time to prepare a meal from scratch.  Unfortunately, the nutritional profile of such foods is lacking and the list of ingredients can be downright scary.  I get excited when I find a pre-prepared packaged food with simple ingredients... bonus points if it's actually really good, too.  Nate's Mediterranean Bites are fun flavors of frozen falafel that are vegetarian, Non-GMO Project certified, and gluten free.

Let's try 'em.

You can prepare the frozen falafel many ways - you can bake it, microwave it, deep fry it, or you can just thaw them out and eat them at room temperature because they are already fully-cooked.  I chose to bake mine, which involved spreading the frozen bites on a cookie sheet and baking in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes or until hot.  Each bag of falafel comes with a container of frozen tzatziki sauce that gets a zap in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

I tried the Southwestern flavor first in a white bread pita lined with a thin layer of hummus and some green leaf lettuce.  I later drizzled the tzatziki sauce on as well, but I wanted to taste the falafel by itself first before adding anything else.

The texture was pleasant for falafel that's been frozen and then baked - the outside maintained a slight bit of crispiness and the inside wasn't gummy or weird.  The southwestern flavor really has some heat to it due to the addition of jalapeno pepper.  It's a really unique twist on the standard falafel flavor and I enjoyed it!  I also tried a few bites with the tzatziki and didn't care much for the combo - I think the spicyness of the bites does well on its own.

I tried the garlic pesto prepared in the same way.  These had more of a traditional falafel aroma straight out of the oven with the garlic and basil coming through strongly.

Oh man, these were sooo good!  I'm a traditionalist when it comes to falafel and though the southwestern flavor was fun, this one is just plain delicious.  With the pleasing crispy outer crust and hearty richness inside from the garbanzo beans.  This flavor paired very well with the included tzatziki sauce- the crisp cucumber added a refreshing bite to the overall flavor profile.

In addition to the two flavors I tried, Mediterranean Bites are also available in Kale and Sweet Potato!  These babies hit shelves back in June and I need to hunt down the other flavors (and restock my freezer with Garlic Pesto!)

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We were sent two bags of Nate's Mediterranean Bites to try.  We do not accept product or compensation in return for a fully positive review.  Remember our motto - if it sucks, we'll tell ya!