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Green Baked Falafels

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These easy oven-baked rice and spinach falafels are perfect to enjoy for lunch with a side of greens, as a mid-day snack or to share for a healthy and tasty apetizer. They are oil-free and gluten-free.

Ingredients

Green Falafels

  • 1 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup brown rice, cooked
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 cup fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 1 wedge of preserved lemon (optional)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Tahini dressing

  • 1/4 cup plant yogurt (coconut, almond, soy)
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with baking foil.
  2. Drain and dry the chickpeas. Place in a food processor with the cooked brown rice and pulse to break them into small grains. 
  3. Peel and mince the onion and garlic cloves. Add them to a pan with a teaspoon of vegetable oil (or with a splash of water for an oil-free version), and sauté for about 2 minutes on medium-high heat until translucent. 
  4. Add the sautéed onion and garlic to the food processor together with all the remaining falafels ingredients. Mix or pulse to combine, until a thick and grainy dough forms. Don’t over-mix to keep a little texture. The dough should be sticky enough to be shaped.
  5. Separate the dough in 12 equal parts and use your hands to form golf ball-sized balls. Arrange the falafels on the foil-lined baking sheet and gently push on top with your hand to flatten them.
  6. Bake for a total 25 minutes, flipping the falafels once at the halfway point for an even cooking. Remove from oven and allow to cool down.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare the tahini dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  8. Serve the falafels on their own dipped in the tahini dressing, or wrapped in a pita bread with chopped veggies.
  9.  

Notes

  1. The baked falafels can be stored in fridge, layered with parchment paper in an airtight container, for several days. To keep them even longer, you can freeze the falafels: place the baked falafels into a freezer safe container and freese up to 1 month.
  2. For golden and crispy falafels, drizzle some olive oil on top before baking and cook for 5 minutes more.

Find it online: https://earlybrawd.com/spinach-falafels-tahini-dressing/