Oven baked falafel

This is one of my go-to weekend lunches, especially if we are having some friends over. It works really well for a crowd because most of the prep work is done ahead of time and everyone assembles their own plate, allowing you to enjoy the meal as much as anyone else around the table!

In my experience, meat-eaters enjoy this just as much as WFPB-eaters.  I think there’s a certain degree of hesitation when I invite friends to come here for a meal – knowing that your host is following a specific diet can lead to a fear of being served plate of brown rice and lettuce.  Well, this meal certainly dispels the myth that the WFPB diet/lifestyle is boring or tasteless!

The falafel mix is very easy to make with a food processor, but it does need a little advance planning as the chickpeas need to be soaked overnight.  I know that you can make these with canned chickpeas which makes for a more spontaneous meal, but I’ve never tried that and I like the less processed reduced sodium aspect of soaking my own.

Once you are ready to put the mix together, combine the chick peas with spring onions, garlic, spices and herbs.  When the chickpeas and greens have combined, I stop to add the seasonings – juice of a lemon, salt, pepper, baking powder and chickpea flour to ensure they hold together.  The lemon juice adds flavor but more than that when combined with the flour it makes a kind of glue that keeps the falafels moist and together when baking in the oven.  The baking powder stops them from becoming too dense.  I like to still be able to feel the chickpeas, so i stop before it becomes too too smooth but I have read some people having good success getting their kids to eat these when they are smoother

I form each one into a ball about the size of a ping pong ball and then smoosh it into a thick disk about 3/4 inch thick (no thinner because that would make them too hard and dry after cooking).  I have found that this thickness allows for a good degree of crunch on the outside while the inside stays tender and moist.  Then I let them rest for about half an hour on the baking sheet.  If you are really organized you can leave them in the fridge covered for a few hours or overnight until it’s time to cook them, but I’m more of a last-minute-emergency-cook still so mine only get half an hour!

I cook them for 25 minutes so that they are cooked through and starting to develop some exterior color, and then I broil for a couple of minutes at the end just to give them a golden color and delicious crust.  Keep an eye on them under the broiler though because burning them at this point would be a horrible tragedy.

While they are in the oven you can prepare your accompaniments – a good tahini dressing is a must, and then any combination of tomatoes, cucumber, olives, capers, gherkins, pickles, sweet peppers, lettuce all work well.  Put everything out on the table with some warmed pita bread and let everyone dig in and make their perfect combination.

They work really well the following day too, served cold with salad!

Author: Pea Lawson

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Oven Baked Falafels

These are great for a mixed crowd of omnivores and WFPB people alike, and most of the work can be done ahead of time leaving everyone to enjoy the meal equally.

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinSoaking time: 8 HourTotal time: 8 H & 50 M

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Falafel mix

• 12 oz dried chickpeas / garbanzos - soaked overnight Equivalent to two cups dry
• 8-12 spring onions one bunch will work fine
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1 packed cup fresh corriander / cilantro Roughly chopped
• 1 packed cup Fresh parsley Roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1-3 tbsp chickpea / garbanzo Flour Could be substituted for whole wheat flour if needed
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 lemon - for juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Creamy Tahini Dressing

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup non dairy plain unsweetened yogurt
• 4 roasted garlic cloves OR, 1-2 fresh garlic cloves
• 1/2 lemon - for juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Accompaniment suggestions. You need about 4

• Kalamata olives, halved
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• red onion, thinly sliced
• capers, rinsed
• lettuce, shredded
• cucumber sliced
• red or orange pepper sliced
• gherkins or baby pickles, halved lenghwise

Instructions

Falafel

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of salted water. They will expand so be sure to use a large bowl
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas
3. Place chickpeas in the food processor with the onions, garlic, parsley and cilantro and whizz to combine
4. Add the lemon, flour, baking powder,salt and pepper before whizzing again to the desired consistency
5. Taste to ensure a good level of seasoning. If more is needed, I suggest mixing it in by hand to avoid over-processing the mixture and making it too smooth
6. Form the mixture into evenly sized balls and then squash down into thick disks 3/4inch thick and arrange well spaced on a lined baking sheet (parchment paper or silicone mat).
7. Let the disks rest for 30 minutes at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 375'F
8. Start washing and chopping your accompaniments
9. Place the falafel in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. They should start to develop a little color on them. At this stage, turn on the broiler and watch carefully while a deep golden crust forms. Flip them and broil the other side before removing
10. Serve immediately with warmed pita bread and assorted accompaniments

Creamy Tahini Dressing

1. Combine the tahini, yogurt, garlic cloves and lemon juice in a blender. You could also use a bowl and whisk, but the tahini sometimes is very sticky so this method is not recommended
2. Season with salt and pepper and thin with water to the desired consistency.

Notes

Recipe adapted from "Falafel with Tahini Yogurt Sauce" from Vegan For Everybody by America's Test Kitchen specifically to make it work for oven baking instead of frying.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @betterthroughfood on instagram and hashtag it #healthydelicious