8 March 2015

Baked Falafel with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Makes:12 serves: 4
Time: 30 mins
Baked Falafel with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Falafel are a traditional middle eastern creation made from chickpeas and a variety of spices & one of those things that vegan's seem to absolutely love, partly I assume because it tastes amazing, but also there's always reassurance that they definitely are vegan, as if made properly they will never include egg. I've definitely consumed and made my fair share of falafel over the years and not once have I been able to replicate the authentic flavour, usually resulting in bland falafel, despite how many different recipes I followed. With mother's day coming up and being put in charge of the food I was more determined that ever to make a great falafel from scratch...and I'm thrilled to say I finally did it!
Baked Falafel Wrap with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

One key difference to making this time around is using powdered garlic instead of raw or roasted; it allowed the garlic to work with the other ingredients rather than over powering and I think that is definitely important. I also used both fresh and dried coriander, cumin, cayenne, a small pinch of cinnamon and lots of onion. The result? Perfectly seasoned baked falafel served up in a wrap with lemon-tahini dressing & crisp salad. I'm so happy to have finally perfected this recipe and I know that you'll all find the same success when trying it!

Baked Falafel with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

You'll need:


  • Frying Pan
  • Spatula
  • Blender/ food processor
  • Baking tray
  • Grease-proof paper
  • Small Bowl
  • Chopping Board
  • Knife

Ingredients:

Falafel:

  • 2 large red onions
  • 1.5 tsp ground garlic
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground corriander
  • 1/2 tsp salt 
  • pinch black pepper
  • pinch cinnamon
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 can chickpeas (240g)
  • 1 cup fresh corriander (leaves and stalks)
  • 2 tbsp flour/ chickpea flour
  • 1 tbsp oil

Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • Juice 1/2 lemon
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • pinch cayenne pepper

To serve:

  • Wraps
  • Salad leaves
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line the baking tray with grease-proof paper.
  2. Roughly dice the onion and add to the pan with a drizzle of olive oil and all the dried herbs & spices. Fry off on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile add all the ingredients for the tahini dressing to a food processor and whiz together, scrape into a bowl, set to one side and clean out the blender.
  4. Next add the chickpeas, onion mix and fresh coriander to the blender and pulse together until almost smooth, then stir in the flour, form the mixture into small balls and place on the baking tray, pressing down slightly to flatten them out. Bake for 15 minutes.
  5. Prep the salad veg and place onto wraps, add 3 falafel to each wrap, drizzle with the tahini dressing and wrap up tight. Cut in half to serve and enjoy! Cassidy xx
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Baked Falafel with Lemon-Tahini Dressing