Falafel

With various recipes for falafel out there, it’s difficult to be brave enough to pick one, put the time and effort, and pray it works. The following falafel recipe time consuming, but with great results.

Falafel is basically your base (beans + onion and garlic +spices and salt) + greens (cilantro and parsley). If you want to get creative can add kale or other dark green, don’t add more than 1 Cup per 1 recipe, this however is not a traditional way to eat falafel).

Ingredients:

1 Cup garbanzo beans, soaked

1 Cup fava beans, soaked and peeled (or substitute with garbanzo beans, therefore making the recipe 2 Cups garbanzo beans)

SPICES:

1 large onion, peeled and cut in 4’s

6 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 ½ Tbs. sea salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. cumin powder

½ tsp. allspice powdered

½ tsp. cayenne pepper powdered (more or less depending on your preference in spicy foods)

GREENS:

1 Cup cilantro, washed and thick stems removed

½ Cup parsley, washed and thick stems removed

OTHERS:

½ tsp baking soda

2 Tbs. sprouted flour (optional)

Coconut oil for frying.

Instructions:

Soak garbanzo beans and fava beans is separate water overnight. If using fava, peel them by pounding them a little at a time. If you can fine peeled dry fava use that instead so all you need is an overnight soaking.

Wash and drain all beans, then they may be mixed from now on. The reason for separation is because of the peeling, it makes it easier.

Put beans in the food processor and blend into a course mixture. This may take a couple batches.

Next, put the onion, garlic, and greens (cilantro and parsley) in the food processor, blend and add to bean mixture. Then add the salt, pepper, powdered spices, baking soda and optional sprouted flour (this is used only if you feel the mixture needs to be slightly firmer).

Mix well by hand, let rest for 30 minutes and then roll into walnut size balls using a spoon and the palm of your hand.

Finally fry the falafel – let the oil heat on a medium low for about 5 minutes or until hot enough to see bubbles form around the falafel mix when dropped into the oil. Fry for about 5 minutes on each side, then remove and place on paper towels to soak up extra oil.

Enjoy with tahini sauce, parsley, lettuce, tomato, thin onion slices, and a side of turnip pickles.

Notes:

Any leftover bean mixture can be frozen in balls or stored in the fridge for next day use. Thaw completely before frying (water in oil can cause the oil to pop).