If you have never tried a falafel, yet are a fan of chickpeas, you are missing out! Falafel is a traditional Egyptian food, consisting of deep-fried balls or patties made from ground chickpeas and a mixture of other seasonings. It is traditionally served in a pita, and is topped with fresh or pickled vegetables and a Tahini-based sauce. While a traditional falafel tastes incredibly good, it isn’t so friendly on the waistline. That being the case, I of course set out to make a healthier, clean eating version by essentially deconstructing the ingredients into a salad, and baking the chickpea patties rather than frying them. More veggies, less bread, and the end result looked a little something like this..
This salad turned out to be not only ‘pretty,’ but also delicious. The fiber and protein in the chickpeas made this salad filling, while the fresh spring mix and vegetables kept it light. In hindsight I would have added some peperoncini rings and maybe a little hot sauce, so feel free to get creative and expand on this as you see fit.
- ***Falafel Patties:***
- 1 (15 oz) can organic chickpeas; drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup gluten free panko bread crumbs (I used Ian’s brand)
- 1 flax egg – (1 Tbsp. ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp. water whisked together)
- 1/2 a small yellow onion
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 2 large cloves garlic; chopped
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- Dash of ground black pepper
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. gluten free baking powder
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- ***Salad:***
- 5 cups organic spring mix
- 1/2 of an organic cucumber; thinly sliced
- 2 mini red peppers; sliced
- 1/4 red onion; thinly sliced
- ***Dressing:***
- 1/4 cup organic tahini
- 1 Tbsp. white miso paste
- 1/4 cup water (or more to thin out if dressing is too thick)
- 1 Tbsp. parsley
- 2 cloves garlic; minced
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- Kosher sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- In a small dish, combine ground flax seed and water. Whisk well and set aside to thicken.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash chickpeas thoroughly with a potato masher until they create a paste. You can’t do this in a food processor because the texture won’t work the same.
- In a food processor, blend onion, parsley and garlic until finely minced.
- Pour mixture into bowl with chickpeas and mix thoroughly.
- When flax seed has thickened to the texture of egg whites, add in cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, pepper, lemon juice and baking powder. Whisk thoroughly and pour into chickpea mixture.
- Combine all ingredients until everything is well mixed, then add in 3/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs and olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Mixture should not be super sticky and should hold together well. If it is too sticky, add in a little more breadcrumbs.
- Take roughly a golf ball size amount of the chickpea mixture and roll it into a ball between the palms of your hands. Gently flatten out the ball to make patty and place it on a non-stick baking sheet. You should have 8 patties when finished.
- When finished, place baking sheet into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, carefully flip patties over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Patties should be golden brown on each side.
- In your food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing and blend until smooth. If dressing is too thick, add in a little more water until it reaches your desired consistency. Add in additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.
- Place 2.5 cups of spring mix on two separate plates.
- Arrange thinly sliced cucumber, onion and red pepper on top of the spring mix.
- Drizzle a small amount of the prepared dressing over the vegetables, then place 3-4 cooked patties over the top.
- Drizzle patties with additional dressing and serve.