Falafel Salad

I love my church. We moved to the Matthews campus of Church at Charlotte when it was planted two years ago and have loved being part of a growing community. Even though we have been in America for 4 years, we are still making friends and settling in. When you don’t have a long history with people or a community, it’s tough to really get plugged in. Being involved in Bible studies and the worship team have helped us surround ourselves with genuinely kind and generous people.

We have picnics, meetings and trainings at church and I love all the social get togethers but bringing my own food is a bit of a drag. When they serve Chipotle I’m all set, but pulled pork sandwiches and viva chicken don’t do anything for me. We recently had a volunteers training night where they had chicken, green beans, rice and fruit salad. I brought these falafels and some hummus and it made a lovely dish. Maybe I should get involved with planning the events so I can make sure there are more veggie-friendly options. Where are all the Christian Vegans at?? 😉

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Falafel Salad

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean, Vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 -6 people

Author Minimalist Baker

Ingredients

1 15- ounce 425 g can Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed, drained and patted dry
1/3 cup Chopped fresh parsley
4 cloves Garlic minced
2 Shallots minced (about 3/4 cup, or sub white onion)
2 Tbsp Raw sesame seeds or sub finely chopped nuts, such as pecans
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp each Sea salt and black pepper plus more to taste
3-4 Tbsp All-purpose flour
3-4 Tbsp Olive oil or coconut oil
optional: Bread crumbs for coating see instructions

Instructions

Add chickpeas, parsley, shallot, garlic, sesame seeds, cumin, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender and mix/pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed until thoroughly combined. You’re looking for a crumbly dough, not a paste (see photo).

Add flour 1 Tbsp at a time and pulse/mix to combine until no longer wet and you can mold the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands - I used 4 Tbsp. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Scoop out rounded Tablespoon amounts and gently form into 6-8 small discs.

Optional: Sprinkle on bread crumbs and gently press to adhere - flip and repeat. This will produce a crispier crust but is optional. (I recommend this- so yummy!)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to generously coat the pan - about 2 Tbsp. Swirl to coat.

Once the oil is hot, add only as many falafel as will fit very comfortably in the pan at a time - about 5.

Cook for a total of 4-5 minutes, flipping when the underside is deep golden brown. Repeat until all falafel are browned - the deeper golden brown they are, the crispier they'll be. They will also firm up more once slightly cooled.

Serve with hummus on your favorite garden salad. Pictured is spinach, arugula, cucumber, carrot, celery, and fresh tomatoes.