Falafel

I love a good falafel, but they are usually deep fried. Since I have been experimenting with oil-free cooking, I was determined to create a recipe that was both vegan and oil-free. In the past I struggled with baking falafel as it would just completely fall apart. But now I know the magic of aquafaba.

If you haven't heard of aquafaba I am about to blow your mind. This liquid is amazing! It can be used in place of eggs. You've probably been throwing it down the drain the whole time. It's chickpea brine, the liquid that comes in a plain ol' can of chickpeas. Crazy, right?

So I took my Greek hamburger recipe that I created for my husband, and replaced the beef with chickpeas. I threw all the ingredients into a blender and blitzed it into a chunky paste. Then I portioned it out onto my favorite baking mat, the silpat. If you don't have one, you can get it here.

It still amazes me how crunchy things bake-up in the oven on the silpat mat. It really makes oil-free baking a breeze and I love how easy it is to clean. Nothing sticks to it! So after 20 minutes in the oven the falafel was finished. Usually, I would make my own pita, but I was feeling a bit lazy today and used some whole wheat flour tortillas that I had in the pantry. I filled it with some shredded spinach, and a tomato and cucumber salad for an easy week night meal.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas, brine reserved

1 Tbsp liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

3 cloves garlic grated

1 small shallot grated

4 Tbsp aquafaba (chickpea brine)*

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 each cumin and coriander

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup each fresh cilantro and parsley

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)

*you can substitute 1 Tbsp of the aquafaba for olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

Drain the can of chickpeas, reserving the brine to use later. Roughly chop cilantro and parsley. Add all ingredients to a blender and blitz until you have a chunky paste. Measure out falafel in heaping tablespoons and form into patties. You can lightly coat them in panko bread crumbs if you a crunchy texture, omit this for gluten-free option. Place the patties on your silicone baking mat and bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

You can serve it in a wrap, Buddha bowl, pita pocket, or just plain.

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