Falafel Fantasic!

Baked Falafel 

Gluten Free  

Falafel!!! Not only a fabulous word, but also an amazingly delicious little ball of chickpea goodness. This recipe is my hybrid version of two of my favorite recipes - Vegandad's Crispy Cajun Chickpea Patties and the wonderful falafel recipe from the vegan cookbook staple - Vegan With a Vengeance. I took elements from both of these recipes and mashed them together to create my version of the perfect falafel. It may not be traditional, but it is delicious.

Unlike a lot of falafel recipes, this one is not fried, but baked.  I like to bake these on parchment paper at a high heat in order to achieve a lovely crispy crust on the outside, while leaving the inside nice and creamy. I use VeganDad's technique of sauteing the celery and onion before pureeing it with the chickpeas, because I think this just creates such a nice depth of flavor and really makes the insides moist and tender. I don't use nearly as much fresh parsley as most falafel recipes usually do, simply because I'm not that fond of it. However, if you love it - please add more! I also add chickpea flour in place of regular flour, because not only does that make these gluten free, but it also works both as a binder and adds even more chickpea flavor and creaminess.

Serve these on whole wheat pita bread (not gluten free) with lots of veggies, or on a bed of fresh greens, or on their own with a side of lentil salad or tabouli. I pair these little chickpea patties with a garlicy Lemon Tahini Sauce (recipe follows), which really brings everything together.

Falafel

• 3 15oz cans of chickpeas, drained and washed
• 1/2 tsp coconut oil (or olive oil, grapeseed oil - whatever you like, I just like coconut)
• 2 celery stalks, small dice
• ½ medium onion, small dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½-1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 2 TBS chickpea flour (if gluten isn't a concern, you can just use unbleached all purpose or whole wheat flour)
• 1TBS corn starch (non GMO!)
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 TBS)
• ½ cup parsley roughly chopped

• Whole wheat pita bread 
• Sliced tomatoes, kalamata olives, sprouts, spinach, sliced bell peppers, etc. 

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

In a medium saute pan, saute the onion and celery over medium high heat, until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the garlic, and saute for another minute or so, until fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

In a food processor (or blender - this just takes a little more work/side scraping), pulse the chickpeas until the texture resembles very chunky hummus (you still want to see bits of chickpeas). Pour half of the mashed up chickpeas into a large bowl. Now add the sauteed onion and celery, and the rest of the ingredients to the remaining chickpeas and pulse a few times, to mash them, and chop the parsley. Add the onion/celery mixture to the mashed chickpeas, and mix everything together - I usually just use my hands for this part.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. flip over, and bake for another 10 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Tahini Sauce

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 TBS water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 TBS fresh parsley
• Salt to tast

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, process until thick and creamy (you can add more water if it's getting too thick). Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary, and drizzle over your falfel. This will keep in a sealed container, in the fridge for about 5-7 days.