RECIPESMARCH 3, 2013

baked chickpea falafel

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to share this recipe. I’ve been making these baked falafel for a while now, and have most recently featured it at the ‘Delicious Detox’ cooking series and at a few Bump Club and Beyond ‘Cooking for the Family’ classes. And it’s definitely a fan favorite!

I love simple recipes, and it really doesn’t get easier than this. All of the ingredients are thrown into a food processor and are finished cooking in twenty minutes. You do have to plan on soaking the beans first; if you don’t do an overnight soak, you can quick soak the chickpeas and have them ready to go in an hour. It’s worth noting that you cannot substitute already cooked/canned beans and get the same results; rather, the falafel would probably be mushy and difficult to work with.

It’s great to make a big batch of these to have on hand for quick snacks and meals. I love the falafel on its own, over the kale salad with apples and walnuts, or wrapped up in a pita or brown rice tortilla. Use greek yogurt for a quick sauce or tahini for a dairy-free option.

Baked Chickpea Falafel Patties

Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight or quick soaked for 1 hour
3 tablespoons olive oil + more for greasing pan
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper, to taste
½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Spread a small amount of olive oil on baking sheet with a paper towel.

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Add chickpeas, 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, red onion, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper to a food processor. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Add cilantro; pulse to combine.

Use hands to scoop out about 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture at a time. Shape the falafel into small patties. Place each falafel on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove the falafel from the oven and carefully flip each one. Return the pans to the oven for another 8-10 minutes.

Yield: 9 – 12 small patties