baked falafel

This morning I woke up and wrote in my gratitude journal. It prompted me to write what would make today great. My answer? Healthy cooking! It’s been a busy a couple of weeks and like most of us when we get busy, it’s hard to stay on track with eating a healthy diet. But today, I decided to prioritize food. So, I made this easy recipe with the thought of stocking the fridge with some healthy options that could be eaten at any time in the day. Seeing as I hadn’t eaten breakfast, I decided to cook some spinach with garlic and enjoy some falafel with a dollop of plain yoghurt for brunch. Delicious! Beans are a staple of the Blue Zones (the zones where people live the longest, healthiest lives), so any chance you can add beans into your diet is a win. This recipe is quick, easy, inexpensive and delicious. It comes from 'Deliciously Ella -The Plant-Based Cookbook’ by Ella Mills. All you need is a food processor and you are good to go!

Baked Sun-Dried Tomato Falafel

Makes 10 large falafel and 20 or so bite sized falafel

Ingredients

1 x 400g tin of butter beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannellinni beans)

1/2 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

90g sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained weight) plus 2 tablespoons of oil from the jar

2 garlic cloves

handful of parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

squeeze of lemon juice

salt and pepper

Creating the Magic!

Preheat the oven to 220C (425F).

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth paste. Add a little olive oil as needed to bring everything together. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Scoop balls of the mixture out of the food processor using an ice cream scoop, smooth them a little by rolling them in your hands, and then place on a lined baking sheet. If it’s too difficult to make the falafel into balls, then chill the mixture for 30 minutes in the fridge and then try again. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Check if they are baked through by inserting a toothpick into one of the falafel. If it comes out clean, they’re ready, if not bake for a little longer.

Notes

• I added some green onions for a little extra flavor.

• I didn’t have any lemons so I squeezed a fresh lime which worked out well. A little more tangy than lemon but still good!

• When cooking the falafel, I let it get crispy on the bottom and then I turned them all so they could get crispy on the other side. If you cook them for too long, they will get dry.

• I like to serve these with a little plain Greek yoghurt.