Tremendously Tasty Baked Falafel

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Falafel wins my nomination for ‘Most Delicious Mediterranean Food’ — well anyway, it’s tied with hummus, which means it scores pretty darn high on the deliciousness scale. Traditionally, Greek chefs fry chickpea patties to make this yummy vegetarian treat. But you can make scrumptious baked falafel with much less oil, and much less trouble, without that high-fat attention-hogging frying pan!

Production Notes

For fastest prep, grind chickpeas the day before you want to enjoy falafel yumminess. Use fresh herbs — dried versions don’t work well here — but feel free to tweak types: if you don’t have all three on hand in the quantities called for, it’s okay to mix and match (use all parsley, or just cilantro and mint, or whatever combination your taste buds andor fresh herb supplies dictate).

Once cooked, this falafel is best served immediately. If you’re cooking ahead, remove falafel from the oven after 30 minutes, let cool completely, and refrigerate until needed. When you’re hungry, preheat oven to 400 degrees and cook falafel patties until the edges look crispy (about 15 minutes), on a parchment-lined baking sheet drizzled with sesame oil. This approach works well for dinner-party appetizers, or if you’re cooking for just one or two people.

Leftovers make great wraps and sandwiches, and crumble into a delicious topping for salads or Mediterranean-style pizzas.

Ingredients

  • 1-lb bag of dry chickpeas, soaked overnight (not canned chickpeas)
  • 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons sesame oil
  • 3 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 Tablespoons egg replacer (Ener-G or homemade), mixed with 5-1/2 Tablespoons water
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup each: finely chopped fresh mint, cilantro, and parsley
  • 1-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2  teaspoon each: salt and garlic powder
  • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper; brush lightly with sesame oil (optional, but adds flavor and crisping).

Mix egg replacer with water, until there are no visible lumps. Set aside.

Pulse the oats a few times in a blender or food processor, grinding them to a fine powder. Empty oats into a large mixing bowl; add flour, and stir well.

Drain and rinse uncooked chickpeas. In a blender or food processor, grind the chickpeas a handful at a time, to a fine mealy texture with no large pieces. Add to mixing bowl with oatmeal powder and flour; stir to combine.

Add mint, cilantro, parsley, cumin, coriander, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne to chickpea mixture; combine well. Stir in egg replacer, mix well, and let everything sit for about 15 minutes to let the binding properties of the oatmeal, flour, and egg replacer work their magic.

Tightly squeeze falafel mix with your hands, to make about 1 to 1-1/2” balls, then flatten them slightly between your palms and place the small patties on  baking sheets, not touching each other. Fill the pan with a single layer of falafel patties, and bake for 30 minutes.

Flip patties over, turn heat up to 400, and bake for another 10-15 minutes til they’re golden brown and crisp-looking.

Serve with pita bread and hummus; if desired, go the extra mile and also offer tofu feta, sliced cucumber and red bells, tabouleh, and several types of of olives, for a delicious Mediterranean experience* without any pesky airline involvement!

*[Disclaimer: refers to dinner only; white sand beaches, island tours, and sailing lessons not included.]

Enjoy!

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by giffconstable.

5 thoughts on “Tremendously Tasty Baked Falafel”

  1. Louisa Dell'Amico

    It’s too bad you folks haven’t figured out how to add a “Print” link. I would love to print out this recipe, but it takes up too much paper (plus I don’t want the photo) to print out in this format.

    1. Hmm, that’s a good point… would copy/ paste into Word work? deleting the photo, just printing the text of the recipe? I think a print button is a great idea. Thanks for the feedback!

  2. Hi – these look great…but not being vegan, I was wondering if I might use egg rather than egg-replacer. I’ve never used the latter! Any idea how much egg would be needed? Is it like for like?

    Thanks! :o)

    1. I don’t do the egg thing either, but if you don’t want to make or buy powdered egg replacer, flax meal should work in its place. Just whisk with the water and set aside until it thickens a little – it just takes a few minutes to thicken up.

      1. Tanya Sitton

        I’m sorry, I really don’t know! I never tried to go the other way, from replacer to egg in a recipe… It’s mainly just to hold everything together; I’d say start with the least amount you can, and see if it forms into patties ok/ isn’t too crumbly. The oats have binding properties too, so you might even be able to skip the binder powder and add a little more oats and water… Flax meal is available in most baking aisles, and super easy to mix… Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you; let us know how it goes! :-)

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