Baked Falafel & Green Goddess Bowls
Prep Time: 20 Mins
Cook Time: 20 Mins
Total Time: 40 Mins
Serves: 2-4
I used to eat my falafel with hummus. This combo is not only visually boring, beige on beige but there is less depth of flavour since you are topping your chickpea patties with chickpea sauce. The Green Goddess dressing provides so much more contrast of flavours while also bringing a beautiful splash of bright green to the dish.
Ingredients
Green Goddess Dressing
1 medium ripe avocado
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons packed snipped chives
3 tablespoons packed fresh basil
3 tablespoons packed fresh parsley
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Few twists of freshly ground pepper
3-4 tablespoons water
Falafel
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
A few twists of freshly ground pepper
2 540ml cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Olive oil, for brushing
Bowls
10 baby carrots with stems still attached, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
1 cup couscous
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in the green goddess dressing together, except for the water, in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend until combined, then add a few tablespoons of water until it reaches the desired consistency.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Add the onion, parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a food processor (use the same processor bowl as for dressing, just give it a quick rinse). Pulse until the onion and herbs are finely chopped. Add the chickpeas and continue to pulse, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix it inwards so it gets evenly pulsed . Add the flour and baking powder and continue to pulse until well combined. The mixture should be half paste, half broken up chunks of the chickpeas, this will give the falafel a nice texture.
On a lined baking sheet, spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture, roll it in your hands to form a ball and place it on the sheet. Place the balls about 2 inches apart. Then using the palm of your hand smash down all the balls until they form disks that are about 1-2cm thick. Brush both sides of each patty generously with olive oil. Bake the falafel until crispy about 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway.
On another lined baking sheet, toss the carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook until tender about 25-30 minutes, mixing halfway for even cooking.
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to boil, add a pinch of salt and the couscous. Turn off the heat and cover for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork.
To assemble the bowls, divide the couscous between bowls and top with a few falafel, carrots, and cucumber slices. Drizzle the green goddess dressing on top.
Notes
Ensure you have a big enough food processor for this recipe or the ingredients will not be properly mixed. The minimum size food processor capacity should be 11 cups. If you have a smaller one, halve the recipe.
