Recipe: Gluten Free Falafels

The first time I had falafels I had to keep making sure that I wasn't eating meat. They're one of my favorite foods since I've gone vegan. It's gluten and soy free so it's a great alternative to the processed meat replacements that you find in stores.

Try them out and tell me what you think!

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups Dry chickpeas (canned won't work)
• 1/2 tsp Minced garlic and ginger
• 2 tsp Himalyan Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Masala
• 2 tbsp Gluten free flour
• 2 tbsp Sesame seeds (optional)
• Vegetable oil (for frying)

Cooking Directions

1. Pour the chickpeas in a large bowl, cover them with water and allow them to soak over night.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas very well.
3. Pour them into your food processor or blender. You can add all the ingredients here if you have a powerful blender, otherwise save that for afterwards. Pulse the chickpeas until they form a gritty, crumb like paste.
4. When the chickpeas have reached the desired consistency, pour them into a blow and proceed to mix in the rest of the ingredients, besides the vegetable oil and sesame seeds. The mixture is ready when it can form a ball. It shouldn't stick together perfectly but if it falls apart too much add more flour.
5. Form the mixture into balls and then roll them in sesame seeds if you opted for that option.
6. Fill a pan with about 3 cm of oil and out it on medium heat. Test the temperature with one falafel ball. If the oil is at the right temperature when it takes 2-3 minutes to brown per side , so a total of 5-6 minutes. Any faster and your falafel will not be fully cooked.
7. When the oil is ready fry your falafels in batches for 5-6 minutes until golden on both sides.
8. Put them on a cooling rack to drain excess oil and allow steam to escape, keeping them crispy. Enjoy with a hummus dip or check out my spinach leaf wrap recipe.