Middle Eastern Falafel with Israeli Salad
Serves 4
For Israeli Salad:
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 cups cucumber, diced
½ red onion, diced
¼ cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about ½ lemon
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
For Falafel:
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
⅓ cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, leave whole or coarsely chop (it will get blended later)
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried coriander
Sea salt and black pepper
½ teaspoon cardamom, optional
3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3-4 tablespoons avocado oil
For Israeli Salad:
In a medium bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, fresh mint, fresh parsley, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt, to taste. Mix everything well together. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preferences.
For Falafel:
In a food processor or blender, combine the chickpeas, parsley, garlic, onion, sesame seeds, dried coriander, and salt and pepper, to taste, and the cardamom, if you’re using. Pulse until just combined, making sure not to over-blend the mixture, or you’ll end up with a paste. You want the consistency to be that of a crumbly dough.
Add the flour in one tablespoon at a time and pulse to combine and the mixture is no longer wet and you can form the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands. You may have to adjust the amount of flour based on the consistency of your dough.
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning to your preferences.
Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better, as your mixture is easier to form if it’s totally cooled.
When you’re ready to cook, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add in enough avocado oil to generously coat the the bottom of the pan, about 2-3 tablespoons.
Once the oil is hot, only add in enough falafel to fill the pan. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook until underside turns a darker golden brown, but make sure it doesn’t burn, about 4-5 minutes. Flip the falafel and repeat this step for the other side. Once fully cooked, set aside and repeat this step with the remaining chickpea mixture.
Serve the falafel with hummus, tzatziki, Israeli salad, feta cheese, and pita bread. Feel free to also eat over cumin rice, with lettuce or red cabbage, pickled veggies, or harissa.
Enjoy!
