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Vegan & Gluten-Free Falafel with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

October 6, 2014 by Epicurean Vegan

Vegan and Gluten-Free Falafel with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce -- Epicurean VeganYou may be surprised how easy falafel is to make at home. Plus, you can play with the spices and ingredients to suit your fancy. One thing I noticed, is that they are typically sauteed in a skillet with lots of oil, which is something I try to avoid doing too often. They’re also not typically gluten-free, so I decided to go all out and create gluten-free, baked falafel. Oh, and make them tasty. I think I accomplished all of that. The yogurt-tahini sauce couldn’t be easier to make, using only a few ingredients and a food processor. Usually, falafel sandwiches will have tabbouleh, but I opted for a quick and easy meal with lettuce, tomato and red onion instead. The falafel are also delicious on their own as a protein-packed snack dipped in sauce. Either way, I think you’ll enjoy this Greek classic.

INGREDIENTS:
1 small carrot, cut into 3-4 pieces
3-4 garlic cloves
1 small white onion, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 C fresh cilantro
3/4 C fresh parsley
1-1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 C rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
12-oz plain nondairy yogurt
1/3 C tahini
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
The rest
Lettuce
Tomato
Red onion
Cucumber slices would be great, too.

DIRECTIONS:
Toss the carrot pieces into the food processor and pulse just a couple of times until coarsely chopped. Add the garlic cloves and onion and pulse 2-3 more times.

Vegan and Gluten-Free Falafel with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce -- Epicurean VeganNext, add the garbanzo beans, cilantro, parsley, cumin, salt, and pepper. Blend 10-20 seconds until smooth-ish . . . you just don’t want a major chunks. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the baking powder and rice flour.
Vegan and Gluten-Free Falafel with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce -- Epicurean VeganCover and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 and then make the sauce. In your newly cleaned-out food processor bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, along with your prepared veggies:
Vegan and Gluten-Free Falafel with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce -- Epicurean VeganTo make the falafel, line a large baking sheet with foil and spray it with a little cooking spray. Using your hands, scoop out about a 1/4 cup of the batter and create a mini patty; place onto the baking sheet. I ended up with 15:
Vegan and Gluten-Free Falafel with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce -- Epicurean VeganBake for 15-20 minutes, then turn them over and cook another 15-20 minutes. Fill a pita with some lettuce, sauce, tomato slices, red onion slices, 2-3 falafel and top them off with a bit more sauce. Enjoy!

Vegan & Gluten-Free Falafel with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
 
Print
Prep time
45 mins
Cook time
40 mins
Total time
1 hour 25 mins
 
You may be surprised how easy falafel is to make at home. Plus, you can play with the spices and ingredients to suit your fancy. One thing I noticed, is that they are typically sauteed in a skillet with lots of oil, which is something I try to avoid doing too often. They're also not typically gluten-free, so I decided to go all out and create gluten-free, baked falafel. Oh, and make them tasty. I think I accomplished all of that. The yogurt-tahini sauce couldn't be easier to make, using only a few ingredients and a food processor. Usually, falafel sandwiches will have tabbouleh, but I opted for a quick and easy meal with lettuce, tomato and red onion instead. The falafel are also delicious on their own as a protein-packed snack dipped in sauce. Either way, I think you'll enjoy this Greek classic.
Author: Epicurean Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 small carrot, cut into 3-4 pieces
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 1 small white onion, chopped
  • 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¾ C fresh cilantro
  • ¾ C fresh parsley
  • 1-1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¾ C rice flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • .
  • Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
  • .
  • 12-oz plain nondairy yogurt
  • ⅓ C tahini
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • .
  • The rest
  • .
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
  • Red onion
  • Cucumber slices would be great, too.
Directions
  1. Toss the carrot pieces into the food processor and pulse just a couple of times until coarsely chopped. Add the garlic cloves and onion and pulse 2-3 more times.
  2. Next, add the garbanzo beans, cilantro, parsley, cumin, salt, and pepper. Blend 10-20 seconds until smooth-ish . . . you just don't want a major chunks. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the baking powder and rice flour. Cover and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 and then make the sauce. In your newly cleaned-out food processor bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, along with your prepared veggies.
  4. To make the falafel, line a large baking sheet with foil and spray it with a little cooking spray. Using your hands, scoop out about a ¼ cup of the batter and create a mini patty; place onto the baking sheet. I ended up with 15.
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then turn them over and cook another 15-20 minutes. Fill a pita with some lettuce, sauce, tomato slices, red onion slices, 2-3 falafel and top them off with a bit more sauce. Enjoy!
3.4.3177

 

 

Filed Under: Dinners, Lunches, Snacks Tagged With: baked, easy, falafel, garbanzo beans, gluten-free, Greek, healthy, tahini, vegan falafel, yogurt-tahini sauce

Falafel Burgers and a Contest Winner!

May 9, 2011 by epicureanvegan

Falafel Burgers -- Epicurean VeganFirst of all, congratulations to sandition of Please Pass the Tofu for being the randomly selected commenter who will receive the $25 Amazon gift card!! Thank you to everyone who left a comment about juicing. So far, I’ve made some incredible apple-kale-spinach-parsley juice that is delicious! I think giving away stuff is way too much fun, so I look forward to doing it again soon!

So onto the food. 🙂 This recipe is another winner from The Vegan Table. You can serve these on buns, pita pockets, or open-faced like I did. Either way, I think you’ll enjoy the well-blended flavors of the patty as well as the cucumber sauce—an ideal combination.

INGREDIENTS:
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs tahini
1-1/2 to 2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder
1 C bread crumbs (I used panko)

For falafel sauce:
1 container (6-oz) plain nondairy yogurt
1-2 Tbs tahini (I used 1-1/2)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp dried dill

Optional ingredients:
hamburger buns or rolls, pita bread, tomato slices, lettuce

DIRECTIONS:
I recommend making the sauce first since it has to chill for 30 minutes. I could have made it while the patties baked, but that’s when I cleaned up the kitchen and set the table, etc. To prepare the sauce, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and chill for 30 minutes.

Falafel Burgers -- Epicurean VeganPreheat oven to 400. Pulse a few times the chickpeas in the food processor until thick and pasty; transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, tahini, cumin, corriander, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and baking powder. (I actually left the beans in the food processor and added the other ingredients and pulsed a few times to just mix them in a little–easier than using a spoon. Then I transferred to a bowl and mixed it more). Slowly add the bread crumbs—using more or less—until the mixture holds together well.

Falafel Burgers -- Epicurean Vegan

Shape into patties and place on a nonstick baking sheet. I used foil that I lightly sprayed with cooking spray. I also made 5 patties, but the recipe says you can get 8-10 patties.

Falafel Burgers -- Epicurean VeganBake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown on the bottom. Don’t expect the tops to get brown—they won’t. Flip over and bake for another 10-12 minutes. Serve with some falafel sauce, tomato, and lettuce on bun, pita, or open-face. Enjoy!

Falafel Burgers -- Epicurean Vegan

Filed Under: Dinners, Lunches Tagged With: burger, chickpea burger, falafel, fast and easy, garbanzo beans, tahini

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The Epicurean Vegan is devoted to those wanting to eat healthy, save animals, and reduce their carbon footprint. My decision to go vegan started out as a quest to get healthier, but the more I learned about veganism, the more I realized how damaging the meat and dairy industries are to the environment and, of course, the animals. And it is for these reasons, that I would never go back to eating or wearing animal products. Ever.
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