Green Falafel with Tahini Lemon Herb Sauce

These falafels are really delicious and full of green goodness. They are great for lunches, dinners or a wonderful snack that the whole family can enjoy. You need to soak the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) overnight so plan ahead and see the NOTE for directions.

TIP You can freeze some of the falafels before cooking them to have on hand for later or double
the recipe and freeze some. Try using these falafels in a pita bread (or bread of choice) for a
yummy sandwich. They are also great served on a salad and use the Tahini Lemon Herb Sauce
as the dressing.

NOTE You’ll need to start this recipe the day before you plan to make the falafel as you will
need to soak the dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for at least 12 hours to overnight. To soak
the chickpeas place them in a large bowl or sauce pan and cover with at least 6 cups of water.
Rinse and drain well before using. Do not used cooked canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for
this recipe as it will make mushy falafel.

MAKES approx. 40 small (20 larger)
PREP TIME 45 – 50 minutes
COOKING TIME 10 – 15 minutes

FALAFEL INGREDIENTS

1 2/3 cups dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) (to soak see NOTE)
½ medium onion, roughly chopped or grated
1 cup roughly chopped parsley
1 cup roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) or baby spinach
2 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
1½ tsp sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp curry powder (mild or hot)
¼ cup chickpea (besan) flour (or gluten-free flour)
½ tsp baking powder (non-aluminium)
avocado, coconut or olive oil (for cooking) (I used avocado oil)

TAHINI LEMON HERB SAUCE INGREDIENTS

½ cup tahini
¼ cup hot water
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice, to taste
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey (optional, to taste)
¼ tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
a dash of cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
½ cup roughly chopped parsley and/or coriander (cilantro)

METHOD

1. Place all the falafel ingredients except the chickpea (garbanzo beans) flour and baking
soda into a food processor and blend until the mixture looks like coarse sand, do not
blend until completely smooth as you want a little texture in the mix.

2. Scoop the mixture into a large bowl and add the chickpea flour and baking soda and stir
until completely combined, then cover the bowl and chill the falafel mixture for 30
minutes to 1 hour.

3. To make the falafel you can use a, melon ball cutter, cookie scoop (to keep the balls the
same size) or you can do this by hand. You can make round balls or flatter patty shapes.
The flatter shapes work better for pan frying or baking larger falafel, however pan frying
or baking smaller balls work great too. Make all the falafel first and place them on a
plate or tray. You can make them ahead, cover and refrigerate for a few hours before
cooking, if you like.

4. To pan-fry heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat.
Gently place approx. 1/2 – 1/3 of the falafel in the pan (depending on the size of your
pan) and cook each side for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden. Transfer them to a plate or
baking tray lined with paper towels (to drain excess oil) and then loosely cover with
baking paper to keep warm while you cook the rest of the falafel. You can also keep
them warm in the oven (125C/250F).

5. To bake pre-heat oven to 225C/425F. Line a baking tray with baking paper and
lightly brush the baking paper with oil. Place the falafels on the try leaving a little room
between them and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

6. To make the Tahini Lemon Herb Sauce place all the sauce ingredients into a high-speed
blender or Nutri Bullet and blends until well combined and creamy. Taste and add a
little more sea salt, lemon juice and/or maple syrup, if desired. You may want to add a
little more hot water to thin the sauce, if desired. The thicker sauce is great to use on
sandwiches. The sauce can be made ahead and will keep refrigerated for up 5 days.

7. Serve the falafel immediately drizzled with Tahini Lemon Herb Sauce and enjoy. You can
also serve them chilled, if you like.