Recipe: Baked Falafels

You can definitely still eat great food while following a vegan diet. This was one of my favourites! Falafels are traditionally fried, but I baked these ones to make them lower in fat. I also doubled the recipe so we had lots of leftovers.



Ingredients



1 cup dried chickpeas

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon baking powder

4-6 tablespoons flour



Pita bread

Tomato, lettuce, tzatziki for garnish



Yield: About 10 balls



Prep



1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.



2. Place the drained chickpeas and onion in the food processor. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.



3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands.



4. Form the chickpea mixture into medium-sized balls.



5. Place balls on greased cookie sheet, a few inches apart. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.



6. Remove balls from oven and place in a pan with 2 tbsp canola oil over medium heat (optional). Stir them around quickly to brown outside of balls.



7. Stuff pita with falafel balls, chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and tzatziki.



Enjoy!