I love how flavorful falafel is. My favorite way to enjoy falafel is with naan bread but I’ve been having a hard time finding a vegan version at the stores lately. I don’t always have time to make homemade so I made a salad version of the dish as an option.
Ingredients
Falafel:
16 oz package of dried chickpeas (I cooked for 5-6 hours in a slow cooker on high with about 8 cups of water. Could probably use about 2 ½ cans of chickpeas drained as well, I just haven't tried that method before)
¼ to ½ cup of fresh parsley
¼ to ½ cup of fresh cilantro
½ of a large yellow onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Tzatziki
One hot house cucumber (traditional cucumber is fine as well)
2 small containers (10-12 oz.) of vegan plain greek yogurt or normal yogurt
2 cloves of garlic, grated
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
½ teaspoon of dill weed
½ teaspoon of salt
Pepper to taste
Other Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce
Chopped red onions
Shredded carrots
Diced cucumbers
Diced tomato
Sprouts
1 cup of couscous
1 cup of water
Pinch of salt
Preparation
Cook chickpeas as mentioned in a slow cooker unless using canned. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees. Rinse chickpeas with warm water, drain, and add to the large food processor. I had to do this in batches because I have a very small food processor. Pulse a few times until the chickpeas start to become ground up. Add the fresh herbs, grated garlic and finely chopped onion then pulse until the ingredients are chopped fine and mixed together well. Move mixture to a large bowl and add cumin, sea salt, baking powder, and lemon juice. Mix well. Using your hands, scoop about 2-3 tablespoons worth of the mixture at a time and form into balls. Make sure to squeeze and work with the mix in order for the balls to stick and stay in a ball form. Cook in the air fryer for 10-12 minutes, flipping midway through.
For the couscous, bring water to a boil. Add couscous, remove from heat and stir well. Place lid on top and let sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
For the tzatziki, peel cucumber, cut into four, then place in a food processor. Pulse until fine. Place grated cucumber in cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer in order to remove excess water. Place drained cucumber, sea salt, vegan greek yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, dill weed, and pepper into a bowl and mix well. If you have time, let the sauce chill in the fridge for an hour or so before enjoying.
Recipe origin: