Let’s face it, things are chaotic across the country right now, and many of us are looking for ways to make food go a bit further. What if I told you that you could get an easy lunch or dinner thrown together in less that 30 minutes of work?
Not enough? What about the fact that it provides the same amount of protein and nutrients as a burger?
And you get to fry it, and it stays healthy?
Yes it does exist. This week’s recipe is for falafel. We found this recipe from Nourishing Days’ new book Traditional Meals for the Frugal Family. It’s a great book and teaches a variety of ways to get healthy food into your family, without a ton of prep work.
Credit for this photo goes to Marco Verch
Ingredients
2 cups dried chickpeas, sprouted or soaked in water for 24 to 48 hours
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
1 small bunch of parsley
1 small bunch cilantro
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
8 cloves garlic
2 ½ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp baking powder
1 to 2 tbsp garbanzo bean flour
Lard, ghee or coconut oil for frying in
Wraps or bread
A tangy sauce for topping
Instructions
Start by draining and rinse the sprouted or soaked chickpeas and place them into a food processor. Add the onion, parsley, cilantro, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic and cumin. Pulse until everything is roughly chopped and well combined. Be SURE to stop before it begins to puree. It should be coarse and similar to bread crumbs in both size and texture.
Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and sprinkle with the baking powder. Mix well. Test the consistency of the mixture by forming it into a walnut sized ball in your hands. It should be tacky and moist but should no longer stick to your hands. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour, at the most, if it is still too wet. Mix well to incorporate the flour, keeping in mind that the resting period will help the mixture absorb more moisture.
Cover your bowl with a plate or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours before frying.
To fry: Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add enough of your frying medium to a depth of 1 inch in the pan.. Allow the medium to heat to roughly 375* F.
You can test this by:
Placing a tiny piece of the falafel mixture in the skillet and making sure it sizzles.
Flicking water on the surface of the oil to see if it sizzles.
Using a thermometer.
Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of the falafel mixture and loosely form an oval shape. Be careful not to compact the dough. You want to give it room to spread and form that signature fluffy interior. Carefully place the mixture in the oil and repeat. (We suggest using a spatula. Your quirky blogger got splattered with oil at this stage after not being careful enough.) Fill the pan but leave about ½ inches between the falafel.
Continue to fry in batches until you have as many freshly fried falafel as you desire. Any remaining mixture can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen. If you opt to freeze the mixture, make sure to squeeze all of the air out of the bag. Alternately, you can turn them into individual servings by making them into patties and wrapping them in wax paper before you place them into the storage bag.
Serve the falafel in a wrap, a sandwich or atop a salad with sauce as you please.
Notes
On Soaking
When it comes to soaking, this is the fast and dirty method. This is the “shoot, I didn’t think about a meal for tomorrow when I was out shopping, what do I have on hand.” Easy, throw your chickpeas into a pot with enough water to cover them, and then another inch on top of that. Let them soak overnight, rinse them once and then you’re good to go! (If you’ve really planned ahead, you can soak them for 48 hours, rinse after the first 24 hours and then once more before you use them.)
On Sprouting
When it comes to sprouting, there’s a couple of different reasons to do this.
-It adds more flavor if you let them sprout for a day or so.
- It goes from being a creamy texture to a more of a vegetable flavor.
-Its proven to be easier on your stomach and digestion.
For this what you’ll need is 2 cups of your grain or bean of choice (in the case of falafel, that’s going to be chickpeas)
And water. Lots of water.
Place your grains into a ½ gallon sized jar or a bowl of equal size. Add 6 cups of water and let it soak for 12 hours.
After 12 hours, drain and rinse the grains or beans. If you’re using a jar, put a fine mesh over your lid and rest your jar in a bowl at a 45* angle and allow the liquid to drain into the bowl.
And that’s that! We hope that you like this recipe as much as we did! If you are interested in more meals like this one, let us know over on our Facebook page. We love to hear from you and what you’re interested in.
If you’re looking to continue working in the kitchen, and maybe using up some leftover bananas you have around, check out this post for banana bread.
And last but not least, if any of your appliances are acting strangely, or are flat out broken, please reach out and schedule an appointment. We want to help you and keep your home running smoothly.