Gluten-Free Baked Falafel Bowl
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
Crispy Baked Falafels (makes 9 approximately 1 1/2 inch falafels)
- 2 tablespoons packed parsley (flat leaf or curly)
- 2 tablespoons packed cilantro
- 4 baby carrots (or the equivalent portion of a full size carrot)
- 1 scallion white part and green part, cut into 4-5 pieces
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour (could sub gluten-free all purpose flour or gluten-free oat flour but no longer grain-free)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground flax seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- spray olive or avocado oil
Grain-Free Tabbouleh
- 2 cups packed flat leaf parsley leaves
- ¼ cup finely chopped yellow or white onion
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Easy Basic Hummus
- 1 15oz can chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
- ½ cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons + 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup warm water more as needed
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Tahini Sauce (yield 1 cup)
- ½ cup tahini (ideally creamy versus the bottom of a jar)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice up to 2 teapoons to taste
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
Crispy Baked Falafels
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse carrots, parsley, cilantro, garlic and scallions until mixture is finely chopped and combined. (try not to over process until mushy but if you do, don't worry, it will still work!)
- Add remaining ingredients and pulse until mixture comes together, about 30 seconds to a minute. You may have to scrape down the sides once or twice to make sure it is all combined.
- Unplug food processor and move falafel mixture to a bowl. Mixture will be thick and could form patties, but if you want to form balls as I do here, chill the batter for 15-20 minutes.
- Form into 9 balls and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Spray each falafel (tops, sides and bottom) with olive or avocado oil -- this is what will give the crispy golden color as it bakes.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Spray tops and sides with additional oil to get extra golden color and crispiness, then bake an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Can be made ahead and eaten room temperature or heated up in the microwave. Store well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several days.
Grain-Free Tabbouleh
- In a small food processor, add parsley, lemon juice and olive oil and pulse to chop parsley into small pieces. Again, stop pulsing before turning to mush.
- Add to a small bowl, the chopped parsley mixture, chopped tomatoes and onions, stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste (I just use a sprinkle or two of each)
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a day. Best when fresh or 1 day old.
Easy Basic Hummus
- Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor. Add the olive oil by streaming while mixing.
- Process until smooth and creamy.
- Adjust to tastes as desired. Add more water for a creamier texture.
- Stores well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a few days.
Tahini Sauce
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth --- You may have to stop and scape down the sides.
- Taste and adjust as desired. Add more water for a thinner sauce, more lemon juice for a brighter and tangier sauce.
- Stores well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several days.