Easy is the keyword here! Throwing together this recipe is absolute bliss. I mean, not only are they totes healthy, but they’re just a few ingredients, some spices, and in the blink of an eye, they’re done and gone. They go with everything too! Salads, sandwiches. wraps, you can make burgers out of them, the creativity and possibilities are endless when it comes to these beauties.

For those who don’t really quite know what a falafel is, well it’s pretty simple. Falafel are made up of chickpeas, predominantly. However, they can be made up of lentils or split peas. A lot of healthy food bloggers will spice things up and use beans, or other legumes or seeds they see fit. But originally, it’s the chickpea.

There are no tricks involved in making these. I used my food processor to ground up the chickpeas and other ingredients, gave it a pulse, whirl and voila!

Here are a few different varieties in the sense of what seasonings to add, what other veggies should go with it, but I just kept it basic. Chickpeas, fresh coriander, fresh parsley, a few fresh garlic cloves, a red onion, sesame seeds, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt/pepper to taste, a bit of lemon juice, gluten free brown rice flour, and a tad of extra virgin olive oil. So simple and are all in your cupboard!

12 falafels

Ingredients: 

2 cans organic chickpeas

3 garlic cloves

1 red onion, chopped

1 cup fresh parsley

1 cup fresh coriander

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp gluten free brown rice flour

Tzatziki dip

1 cup yogurt (I used coconut)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 medium cucumber, diced

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp dill

salt/pepper to taste

Method: 

Preheat oven to 200C and line baking dish with parchment paper. In a food processor add all ingredients and pulse until it makes a course mixture. Take a heaped tablespoon sized portion of the mixture to form your falafel balls. Place on prepared baking sheet and brush the tops of each patty with extra virgin olive oil.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the outside.

Meanwhile, mince garlic and add it to a bowl with salt and pepper. Dice the cucumber and add it into the bowl along with yogurt, lemon juice, dill, and oil. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes (while your falafel balls are baking) so all the flavours marry together. Once the falafel are done, serve dip and enjoy!