I must apologise if you have been bothered by a high-pitched squeal ringing out over Warwick this week.

Baby Chloe has discovered her voice and is apparently trying to communicate with dolphins. Every evening, whilst I prepare her dinner, she'll sit in her little chair and chat to me – this involves a lot of adorable ga-ga, ma-ma, but is unfortunately interspersed with 'eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!' Chloe is very impressed with herself and thinks it's all very amusing, however my ear drums are in danger of bleeding. Even worse, poor Jasper has almost permanently retreated to a tight space in-between the patio table and the wall. (If you are new to this column you'll be relieved to know that Jasper is the dog, not the husband.)

This doesn't mean that my husband hasn't been affected. In fact, after a restless night (more 'eeeeeEEEEEE!' down the monitor) and with the prospect of whales beaching themselves on our doorstep this evening, I've had to tempt him home with the promise of a burger and chips for dinner. What I didn't make clear is that I'm cooking falafel burgers, and as he believes that burgers are sacred, I'm not sure how it's going to go down.

However, I'm hoping that two things will soften the blow. Firstly, I'm serving the falafels with some fries. Organic oven fries – but fries none-the-less! In my view, organic potatoes just taste so much better and oven-baking seriously limits the saturated fat content. Secondly, I have a whole array of sides to go with the burgers (salsa, guacamole, tzatziki and roast baby tomatoes) and he's a fan of meals with multiple parts.

If you'd like to try these out too, then the cook-shy can buy a great mix for falafels here by Casbah Natural Foods. It's stocked in the health/organic section of most grocery stores and is super easy and incredibly cheap. There's nothing quite like making them yourself though – the result tends to be more moist and fragrant.

Either way, falafels are a safe bet if you want to try something new – they're a good source of vegetarian protein and are low in both calories (approx 160) and saturated fat (1g). Bearing in mind that a normal burger will contain between 350 and 1010 calories (it's the mayo, cheese, bacon and number of patties that rack up the calories) they're definitely a healthy option.

When it comes to serving falafels, you can either divide the mixture in to four and make burgers, or make 12 smaller ones. Small falafels stuffed into wholewheat pita with salad, salsa and the tzatziki dip are absolutely delicious. Whichever way you decide to do it, try out this recipe for the falafels and the tzatziki dip below. Please note that you will need either a food processor or stick blender.

Falafel ingredients:

(makes 4 burgers or 12 smaller falafels)

400g can Eden organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained & rinsed well

1 small red onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 handful fresh parsley, washed & chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp chilli powder (you can add more if you like)

2 tbsp wholemeal flour (can be replaced with gluten-free flour)

1 pinch salt

2 tbsp light olive oil

Falafel method:

Dry off the chickpeas with kitchen paper

Put the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, spices, flour and salt into a food processor and blend until fairly smooth. Next best option is a stick blender, but you may need to add a little water to get things moving!

Shape the mixture into burgers or smaller falafels

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry burgers for two minutes on each side, and smaller falafels for one minute on each side – until lightly golden

Serve with any or all of the following: wholegrain buns/pita, green salad, salsa, guacamole, tzatziki dip. Replace the buns/pita with organic oven chips if your family need buttering up!

Tzatziki dip:

Combine the following ingredients and chill: 75g low-fat greek yoghurt, two inches cucumber deseeded and finely grated, 1 tbsp fresh finely chopped mint or one tsp dried mint.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at clinicalnutrition@gmail.com