Recipe Review: Baked Falafel with Pita

Starting a couple months ago Travis and I decided to eat a little healthier, or I should say I decided and since I do all the cooking Travis had no choice in the matter. We already ate pretty good, mostly organic and local, with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. But I felt like we were eating too much meat and snacking too frequently. So I've been making more meat free meals that would be filling enough to discourage me from snacking, which led me to looking for the perfect falafel recipe. After tinkering with a few different recipes I feel pretty happy with the outcome. Find my recipe below.

These falafel are pretty tasty alone but I have to say that for me it's all about the sauces. I like to make both a lemon tahini garlic dressing (recipe below) and a fresh tzatziki, the more the merrier. And then just pile on any veggies I have. I particularly like the classics like tomato and cucumbers, but have also tried and really enjoyed adding avocado  peppers and artichokes. You can also try new things with your falafel recipe, like adding more or less of your favorite herbs and spices or even adding in nuts like this amazing version from Sprouted Kitchen.

Baked Falafel Recipe

3-4 garlic cloves
4 Tbsp fresh parsley
½ red onion
3 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (or two 15 oz cans)
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin

1-2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp honey
5 tbsp flour (you can substitute gluten free options such as almond or spelt flour)
1 tsp baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Place the garlic and the parsley into a food processor and chop it up. Add the onion and process it until the onion is chopped up as well but not too small.

Add the chickpeas, coriander, and cumin. Process until everything is finely ground but not pureed. You can do this in steps if the amount is too much to be processed at once. Place the ground mix into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, honey, flour, and the baking powder, and season to taste with salt and pepper. If needed add more flour.

Form the mix into little balls and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush both sides of each falafel with olive oil. Bake them for 20 minutes then flip them and bake them again for 20 minutes.

Warm the pita bread and top with the falafel, lemon tahini dressing, tomatoes, lettuce, and any other veggies of your choice. Enjoy!

Lemon Tahini Garlic Dressing

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

4 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
½ cup filtered water
½ cup tahini
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 organic garlic cloves
3 tablespoons fresh organic parsley (I used curly, but flat leaved should work fine)
1 tablespoon raw honey
½ cup extra virgin oil

Put all ingredients, excluding oil, in your food processor or blender.
Puree until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Drizzle in olive oil and continue mixing.
When everything is well blended, serve on everything!