Easy Peasy Baked Falafel

I had my first falafel only a few weeks ago.

I waited wayyyyy too long to try these babies out, and let me just say, I have now craved falafels every day for the weeks following. Yesterday morning I ate breakfast and then a cooking bug exploded inside of me before I left for my run, and the falafel was born.

I took a gander at some recipes on Pinterest to try and get a feel for what most falafels consisted of- and some were full of oils and had to be fried. Granted, yes, falafels are great when they’re super crispy and indulgent; but I’m not huge on fried things. Therefore, I went out to make some baked falafel.

Chickpeas are the way to go for anything, and now that I’ve discovered how magnificent tahini is, we had to throw that baby in as well. I used my favorite blend of baby spinach and kale greens, along with my favorite spices and a garlic kick I really enjoyed.

I’m also a fan of oat flours to keep it gluten free. I don’t have a gluten problem, but I like the closest things to nature as possible- so how could you go wrong with a little homemade oat flour to create them?

My nutri-bullet broke a few weeks ago (started smoking as I made energy bites; very hard day for me) so I used a regular blender, and I have to say, it wasn’t too bad! I’d recommend a food processor though.

I was so excited when I had them in the oven, I was taking snapchat stories singing to them…. sometimes, I frighten myself.

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makes: 11-12 patties

Bake time: 18-20 min

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Ingredients:

• 1 15.5 oz can organic chickpeas, rinsed
• 2.5 C. spinach and kale blend
• 2 TBSP. minced garlic
• A pinch of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 C. cilantro
• .5 TBSP. Lemon juice
• 3.5 TBSP. tahini
• 3.5 TBSP. rolled oats (ground into flour)
• 1 TBSP. water (if needed)

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Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to bake the falafel once the “batter” is ready.
2. Combine chickpeas, greens, garlic, spices, lemon juice and tahini into a food processor until just mixed. You want the combination to be slightly chunky, and not creamy like hummus. Because then, you have made hummus. Not a falafel.
3. After the mixture is ready, move the combo into a small mixing bowl. At this point, you can add more spices if you like.
4. Start by stirring in a small amount of the flour to the mix, slowly combining the two. Continue this process until all the flour has been added to the falafel mixture.
5. Begin taking small amounts of the mixture into your hands and roll it into a ball. It will be a little sticky, so you may need a small amount of flour to work with. These balls should be about a tablespoon and a half to two tablespoons.
6. Press the balls lightly onto the parchment paper to create a patty. Once finished, sprinkle extra pepper on top.
7. Bake for about 9-10 minutes and then gently flip the patty onto the other side to brown both. Bake for another 9-10 minutes.
8. Let the falafels cool for 10-20 minutes and enjoy! Serve anyway you like!