Hello all! Wow I looked and my last post was all the way back in September! The craziness that was 2020 definitely caught up with me, while I tried to stay present on Instagram I definitely let the blog fall to the side as I began my new career in the midst of this crazy pandemic! While I don’t usually subscribe to the whole “new year, new me” mentality, I do want to bring a renewed sense of purpose to this page in 2021!
Up first: Falafel bowls! I love the fresh herb dill and this bowl is a great way to showcase it. It’s probably one of the more under utilized herbs in American cooking but it brings a sharp fresh note to this dish that I am in love with
What is falafel? A common Middle Eastern food, falafel is made of ground chickpeas, spices, and fresh herbs. It’s commonly served in a pita, but a lot of places here in the States have adapted it to almost any meal. You can find it served along with hummus, fresh pita, a salad or like you’ll see here, in a grain bowl! I like this method because I can meal prep a bunch of servings to bring to work for lunch and know I’m having a healthy hearty lunch. Falafel is a great source of plant protein and a good way to stay full throughout the day!
There’s two main ways to approach falafel- the traditional fried method or the healthier baked option. Falafel is usually deep fried, but can also be cooked pan fried if you don’t want to use or don’t have a lot of frying oil. Frying the falafel gives it a thick crispy crust to contain a softer herbed inside. Baked means you’ll definitely use less oil and the falafel itself absorbs less oil as well. You don’t tend to get that same crust on the outside, but you can bake a bunch at once which is why I usually opt for it (meal prepping problems).
You can see here the baked version still has that green color as the outside hasn’t cooked as deeply as it would with a deep fry. The image below shows one deep fried falafel in a sea of baked ones, you can really tell the difference.
The rest of this grain bowl includes quinoa, kale, cucumber, feta, and avocado. It’s all topped with a tahini lemon dressing! Check out the recipe below!
Ingredients
- For Falafel
- 2 cups cooked chick peas (freshly cooked are more flavorful but you can use cans as well)
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 large cloves fresh garlic cloves
- 1 small shallot
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp flour, more as needed
- For Grain Bowl
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 1 bag (10-14oz) of Kale
- Some European cucumber, sliced
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 1 ripe avocado
- For the Tahini Lemon Dressing
- 1/2 cup Tahini
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add the cooked chick peas, 1/2 bunch cilantro, 1/2 bunch parsley, the shallot, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse ingredients until they are roughly combined. Add 1 Tbsp of flour and continue to pulse. Continue to add flour up until it loosely resembles dough. This is usually around 2 Tbsp for me.
- Form the falafel dough into small balls roughly 1-1.5 inches in diameter. Cook by either dropping into a deep fryer, pan frying until all sides are golden brown, or place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes, until the edges have a firm dry texture.
- While falafel is cooking, boil quinoa according to package instructions, pulse the kale in the food processor until is is finely diced and will mill well in with the quinoa. Combine both together in mixing bowl. Add the dill trimmings and mix well.
- In a ball jar container, add the ingredients for the dressing. Secure the cap tightly and shake vigorously until the mixture is an emulsion (well combined without separated layers).
- Once falafel is cooked, assemble your bowl, scoop the desired quinoa into a bowl, top with sliced avocado, cucumber, crumbled feta, and the cooked falafel. Drizzle dressing over the top and garnish with more fresh dill.
- Eat and enjoy!!
Eat Drink and Pat Pups 