falafel

who loves falafel? i do, i do! although this recipe looks really long, the process goes fairly quick once you've soaked your chickpeas (about 8-10 hours). just get all your spices out, plus your measuring spoons and you'll have falafel patties in no time at all. serve with vegan tzatziki or hummus.

• 1 ¼ cup soaked chickpeas/garbanzos
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper *optional
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1-2 tablespoons water

after chickpeas have been soaked (not cooked!), blend up them up in a food processor. add the rest of ingredients and pulse a few times until well-mixed. be cautious with the crushed red pepper - this does add quite a bit a spice. the consistency should be fairly thick - you should be able to roll the falafel patties without any sticking to your hand. if it's too wet, you can add a little whole wheat or chickpea flour in to thicken it up again.

personally, i like to let my falafel sit for a few hours before cooking (to let the flavours meld), but you can also just cook them right away. roll into balls about the size of a golf ball, using a little flour if needed to prevent stickiness. sometimes i will flatten balls into patties if i plan on stuffing them in a pita wrap. spray a standard 8x11 baking dish with non-stick oil, and bake for 30 minutes at 380°f, flipping the patties halfway through.

i eat falafel in pita, on salad, or as you can see, made into lettuce wraps. i think lettuce, tomato and cucumbers go perfectly!

falafel salad w/ vegan tzatziki dressing

falafel has been one my favourite foods since i went vegetarian at 16. there is a great restaurant in town that makes the best yogurt tzatziki for their falafel pita wraps, and is what inspired me to make a vegan version. so the other day when i was craving falafel, but was out of pita, i just threw everything on top of a salad and made this vegan tzatziki dressing. i'll post my personal falafel recipe later, but this post is actually about the tzatziki dressing which i thought was the highlight of my meal.

• 1 bed of salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers)
• 4 falafel balls

for the tzatziki dressing:

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fat-free nayonaise
• pinch of dill

make a bed of salad, and place 3 or 4 falafel balls on top. you can find a pre-made falafel mix at most grocery stores (i think fantastic foods brand is pretty good), or you can find many recipes online. personally, i bake mine (i'll post my recipe later).

in a magic bullet or food processor, blend up dressing ingredients. you can add more olive oil or lemon juice if it's too thick. top salad with vegan tzatziki dressing and enjoy your falafel bowl!