This week’s Meatless Monday recipes is Baked (yes, baked) Falafel with Homemade Tzatziki. It was my first attempt at making Falafel, but I was pleasantly surprised at how simple they were to make. I baked them instead of frying to prevent oil absorption for a healthier version.
I’ll be giving you some reference measurements for a mild spice mix, but this part is completely to taste. I personally do not love spicy foods but I know that some of you do. Therefore, feel free to double or even triple the spice blend in this recipe.
Additionally, if you want to be truly authentic, you could also add a tahini sauce. I’m including a Lemon Tahini Sauce in the printable recipe below. A few thinly sliced red onion would also have been nice for garnish. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any on hand. I’m sure you can relate 🙂
The best part of making falafel is that the food processor does nearly all of the work. We have drained and rinsed chickpeas, flour, parsley, garlic and our spice mixture. Ground cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper round out the flavors.
The mixture seems like it might be too dry, but resist the urge to add liquid. These form into perfect little patties on their own.
I used a 2 Tbl cookie scoop to measure the mixture and just flattened those balls out a bit. I placed the patties onto a lightly oiled baking pan and then lightly sprayed the tops with cooking spray. This serves two purposes. It keeps them from drying out and also helps them to turn a nice golden brown. I baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping halfway through. This is important so that both sides get an opportunity to brown up.
It’s time to make the sauce(s). For the Lemon Tahini Sauce, you’ll just need Tahini paste and lemon juice to taste.
For the Tzatziki Sauce, I used this SO Delicious Dairy Free Plain Greek-Style Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt. To that, I add diced cucumber, minced garlic (optional), the juice of 1 lemon, white wine vinegar with salt and pepper to taste.
You can use traditional Pita bread or as I have today, a softer flat bread. Then I line the bread with lettuce leaves, add the falafel along with slices of tomato and cucumber. As I mentioned above, I meant to add thinly sliced red onions. They add both flavor and color. Drizzle with sauce and you are ready to enjoy!
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Meatless Monday: Baked Falafel with Homemade Tzatziki
Ingredients
- FOR THE FALAFEL:
- 15 oz. Can of Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- Handful of fresh Parsley
- 1-3 cloves of Garlic to taste
- 1-1/2 to 2 Tbl of Flour
- 1/4 tsp ground Coriander more or less to taste
- 1/4 tsp ground Cumin more or less to taste
- 1/8 tsp Chili Powder more or less to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste (more or less to taste)
- *****
- FOR THE LEMON TAHINI SAUCE:
- About 2 Tbl of Tahini Paste
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- *****
- FOR THE TZATZIKI SAUCE:
- 1 C Dairy Free Greek Style Vegan Yogurt
- 1/2 C Cucumber small diced
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- Juice of 1/2 of a Lemon
- 1 Tbl White Wine Vinegar
- Pinch of Salt
- *****
- REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
- Pita or Flat Bread
- Leafy Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Cucumber Slices
- Red Onions thinly sliced
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add to the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the falafel to the food processor and blend until pureed.
- Using a cookie scoop, make uniform sized balls and flatten slightly into the falafel shape.
- Lightly oil a baking sheet and place the patties onto the oil. Using cooking spray, give a light mist to the tops just to keep them from drying out.
- Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through so both sides brown.
- Meanwhile, prepare both sauces.
- To assemble, add leafy lettuce to a pita or flat bread.
- Place the cooked falafel, alternating with slices of cucumber, tomato and red onion.
- Drizzle the sauce on top and garnish with fresh parsley.
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