oven-baked falafel
As with having a stash of dumplings in the freezer onhand, I always try to have prepared falafel patties or veggie burgers so that I can easily heat something up if my family are eating meat. Baking them in the oven uses minimal oil, plus it guarantees that the patty won't fall apart whilst baking. You can play around with flavor variations by adding roasted beetroot or kabocha squash to the mixture for some vibrant-looking falafel too.
ingredients
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp fresh parsley
3 Tbsp chickpea flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
2 cups ready-to-eat chickpeas/garbanzo beans
2 cups kale or spinach, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil, to brush onto the patties
1 fresh lemon, to serve
method
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a food processor, process everything except the chickpeas, oil and lemon.
Add the chickpeas and process until coarsely chopped (don’t puree). Pulse a few more times until the whole mixture looks like it’s about to form into a ball.
Gently form into even golf-ball sized balls, then flatten into thick patties. Place on lined baking sheet, lightly brush each side with oil and bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping them over once, until heated through. You can also broil or toast them for a minute or two on each side to crisp them up.
