Served with Creamy Sriracha Dill Dressing, Avocado, & English Cucumber
I hope this food porn brings a happy ending to your weekend! Giggity giggity! I am a child! Sue me! HAHAHA
I have been curious to try making falafel for a while and thanks to my friend, Danielle, she pointed me in the right direction with a recipe from the book, Appetite for Reduction. How deliciously easy and tasty these little balls of goodness are!
I amped up the original recipe by using dill, lemon juice and zest, garlic infused olive oil, shallots, and chia seeds. These are some balls you will enjoy rolling around in your mouth!
INGREDIENTS
DRESSING: ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp light mayo
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp maple syrup
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp sriracha
¼ cup dill, finely diced
¼ cup parsley, finely diced
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
FALAFEL: 2 (15oz) cans chickpeas
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, chopped
½ cup fresh parsley
½ cup fresh dill
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
½ tsp garlic infused olive oil
3½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sriracha
3-4 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chia seeds
GREENS & GRAINS: 2 cups brown jasmine rice, cooked
2 cups quinoa, cooked
5 cups arugula
3 tbsp dried cranberries
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and cubed
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chia seeds
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup fresh dill, finely diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely diced
Black pepper and salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
DRESSING:
Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Transfer to a serving dish, cover with saran wrap, and refrigerate.
FALAFEL:
In a food processor, pulse together the chickpeas and garlic. Add the shallots, parsley, dill, olive oils, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sriracha. Blend until well combined and smooth. NOTE: Do this step in small batches to incorporate ingredients evenly.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients (flour, cumin, coriander, paprika, baking powder, salt and pepper).
The mixture will be formed into balls, so it should not be mushy. If it is mushy, add an additional tablespoon of flour.
Spray two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. Form mixture into 1-1 ½ inch balls and place on baking sheets. Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend together.
Preheat oven to 400°F and take out falafel balls from the refrigerator to begin getting to room temperature. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating them every 8-10 minutes to brown them evenly on all sides.
GREENS & GRAINS:
Cook the rice: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 ¼ cups of water to a boil on high heat in medium saucepan. Once water is boiling, add 1 cup rice, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 40-45 minutes. DO NOT open the lid! Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork again. Set aside.
Cook the quinoa: In a small saucepan, bring 1 ¼ cups water to a boil on high heat. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a sieve. Once the water is boiling, carefully add quinoa to boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook* until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork again. Set aside. *NOTE: For white quinoa, cook 10-15 minutes. For red or multicolor quinoa, cook 15-20 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups rice and 2 cups quinoa with dill, parsley, green onion, chia seeds, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add additional black pepper and salt to taste. Divide among 4 to 5 meal prep containers.
Add 3 or 4 falafel balls on top of the rice and quinoa mixture in each container.
Divide arugula, cucumber and avocado amongst containers evenly. Sprinkle dried cranberries on the arugula.
Drizzle with dressing if enjoying right away or divide dressing into small storage containers to add later.
