Easy Falafels
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Who needs take-out when you can make perfectly delicious falafel at home? Serve these in a pita with tomato, onion, lettuce and hummus sauce and you’re seriously good to go. Hummus and vegetables make an excellent side dish. Otherwise, serve these atop a bed of greens for a lighter option.
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce (425 g) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry
1/3 cup (15 g) chopped fresh parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced (~ 3/4 cup, 65 g | or sub white onion)
2 Tbsp (17 g) raw sesame seeds (or sub finely chopped nuts, such as pecans)
1 1/2 tsp cumin, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper, plus more to taste
3-4 Tbsp (24-31 g) all purpose flour (or sub oat flour or gluten free blend with varied results)
3-4 Tbsp (45 - 60 ml) grape seed oil for cooking (or sub any neutral oil with a high smoke point)
Hummus for dressing
Instructions:
Add chickpeas, parsley, shallot, garlic, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, pepper to a food processor or blender and mix/pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed until thoroughly combined. You’re looking for a crumbly dough, not a paste.
Add flour 1 Tbsp at a time and pulse/mix to combine until no longer wet and you can mold the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands - (about 4 Tbsp).
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Transfer to a mixing bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to firm up. If you’re in a hurry you can skip this step but they will be a little more fragile when cooking.
Once chilled, scoop out rounded Tablespoon amounts and gently form into 11-12 small discs.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to generously coat the pan - about 2 Tbsp. Swirl to coat.
Once the oil is hot, add only as many falafel as will fit very comfortably in the pan at a time - about 5.
Cook for a total of 4-5 minutes, flipping when the underside is deep golden brown. Repeat until all falafel are browned - the deeper golden brown they are, the crispier they'll be. They will also firm up more once slightly cooled.
Serve warm with hummus, inside a pita with desired toppings or atop a bed of greens.
Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep in the refrigerator covered for several days. Freeze after that to keep fresh for up to 1 month.
For more tips and meal ideas, download our FREE 12 WEEK LEAN UP Healthy Eating Guide!
Original Source: http://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-falafel/