I love baked falafel all year around. In the summer I often enjoy it with a salad. But during the winter time I really don't feel like eating salads. On top of that, the tomatoes are just not nice in the winter time. In France we tend to eat with the seasons and there are good reasons for that. 😉
So, to still be able to enjoy my favourite baked falafel in winter time, I substituted the traditional refreshing accompaniments with nutty winter vegetables. And it works great!
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🥘 Main ingredients for the falafels
- chickpeas
- onions
- garlic
- olive oil
- parsley
- coriander
- ground cumin
- ground coriander
- lemon juice
- baking soda
- oat flour
💭 Tips on variations
For a more wintery option;
I used roasted cauliflower. I love the nutty flavours which release while roasting the florets, and for a bit of tang I roasted them with lemon zest. Very tasty! To add some green leaves to it, I decided on fresh spinach quickly sautéed with garlic. And to finish I drizzled some toasted sunflower seeds on top, which adds nicely to all these warm nutty flavours.
The falafel I kept as usual. Baked, for the lighter option and lots of herbs. This falafel recipe is just really nice, easy and quick. It is not according traditional recipe, but it works really well, and tastes delicious.
For the summery option;
So in summer I still use the same recipe for the falafel, but I add refreshing salads. Such as; Fresh tomatoes, cucumber, radis and leavy green salad. Sometimes with a refreshing vinaigrette with flavours like lemon, lime, and the addition of extra herbs like mint & coriander.
🥣 Sauce options
For the sauce, you can use whichever you prefer most. I often use in the winter ones like hot red pepper sauce. And maybe for the summer more the refreshing ones. But really go for whatever you feel like, or create your own favourite.
Examples;
- hummus
- vegan tzatziki (or other vegan yoghurt sauce)
- a garlicy sauce, or vegan aioli
- spicy tomato sauce
- hot roasted red pepper sauce
- or even a vegan mayonnaise
Of course served with a home made pita bread.
🍷 Wine pairing with falafel
Personally I wouldn't make it to complicated with a dish like this. Most likely I would just grab a nice cold lager, or a craft beer. But if you do prefer to enjoy a glass of wine, a medium bodied Chardonnay would fit the overall flavours of this dish very well, or a Riesling would pair nicely too.
A great lunch, starter, quick snack or even on an apero platter ,falafel fits it all. I particularly like this recipe because it is just what it should be, easy, quick and delicious. The uploaded recipe is my winter baked falafel recipe. But easy to adjust into a summer dish by changing the veggies with refreshing salads. Let me know if you use this recipe, and don't forget to add @haricoco1 to your instagram posts. I always love seeing new creations. Enjoy!
📋 Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g 2 cups fresh spinach
- ½ clove of garlic finely chopped
- ½ cauliflower in florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 handful of toasted sunflower seeds
- 4 pita > recipe
for 12 falafels
- 1 can of chickpeas drained
- 40 g ¼ cup onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 handful of fresh parsley
- 1 handful of fresh coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt
- pepper
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 20 g 3 tablespoon oat flour
for the hot pepper salsa
- ½ red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Tabasco to liking
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 190C / 375F
- In a bowl combine the cauliflower with olive oil, lemon zest and coarse sea salt. Massage well into the florets.
- Put this mixture on baking tray and bake for approx. 25 minutes, until nicely browned.
For the falafels
- Drain the chickpeas, and let them dry a bit. Pour them in a food processor together with onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, ground cumin, ground coriander, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Pulse the food processor until you get a roughly mixed mixture, it is nice for the texture to still have chunks in there.
- Add this mixture to a bowl, and stir in the baking soda and oat flour.
- Brush the olive oil on a baking tray with aluminium foil
- Form patties with the mixture, and place them on the foil.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes
for the salsa
- Meanwhile make your salsa by putting all ingredients into your food processor and blend until you get your preferred texture. Add Tabasco to your own personal liking.
assemble
- Toast the pita's, in a toaster or in a dry pan
- When your patties, cauliflower, salsa and pita are ready. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, add the fresh spinach and chopped garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes and take of the heat.
- Serve per plate; 1 pita filled with a good spoonful of spinach, 3 small (or 2 large) falafel patties and 2 spoonful of roasted cauliflower. Drizzle with toasted sunflower seeds, and serve the hot salsa on the side.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This baked falafel recipe is part of my new series; 'Travels of taste'. We use our taste buds to travel the world and discover the use of our senses and imaginations to meet other cultures through food. So today we find ourselves around the Mediterranean. If you are ready to imagine yourself travelling around the Mediterranean while sensing its salty air & hot summers and tasting its incredible variety of fresh food. Check out my full Mediterranean 'travels of taste' post; >>> The Med; Olive oil, herbs & fresh produce.
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