I’m not sure where you are from, but here it Toronto, it doesn’t feel much like spring. In fact it still feels like winter. Biting winds, sleet, snow, and days where it is 0C (32F).
A few weeks ago, however, we had a couple of nice days, so I decided to celebrate the spring and make something “springy” — like these falafel burgers from Oh She Glows, which she adapted from Savvy Eats. And unlike the other delicious falafel that I make, these burgers are baked, not fried! Healthy Score!
Delicious looking, right?
It all starts with some chickpeas. I’m a recent convert to cooking with dried legumes. And these chickpeas just solidified my conversion. They were delicious. I was seriously eating them by the handful. So, if you haven’t tried cooking from dried before, what are you waiting for? I know of at least three converts in my life so far! If you try it, stop by and leave me a note to let me know how it went!
These falafels are super easy because most of the ingredients get ground up in your blender (or food processor).
If you are a person who knows about my carrot allergy,* you may be looking at that blender in fear… Don’t worry, the proteins in the carrots change when I bake the falafel, and they are totally edible by yours truly.
*If you are not a person who knows about my carrot allergy, that is a story of another day. Long story short, I have oral allergy syndrome.
The recipe calls for all of the ingredients (including the flour) to be blended together in a food processor. I got all the way up to adding half the flour, when I realized I was probably pushing my blender too hard. So, instead I mixed in the remaining flour and the paprika in a cute blue mixing bowl.
For some reason I didn’t take a picture of preparing the falafels to be baked. Close your eyes and imagine raw falafel patties on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. You got it! And here they are cooked.
I served them with fresh buns from the St. Lawrence Market, a little bit of grated mozzarella, slices of avocado, a big piece of mealy tomato (which I promptly removed; lesson learned… again… don’t add tomato unless it is the summer), a handful of arugula, and a generous splash of Frank’s.
Those are the hubs’ cuticles. Mine are in much better shape.
Delicious.
Falafel burgers
Adapted Oh She Glows… adapted from Savvy Eats
Note: The original recipe calls for tahini, not my fave so I didn’t use it. I also forgot to add the sunflower seeds, I’m leaving them in the recipe because I seriously think they would be delicious.
Yield: 4 large burgers.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups cooked chickpeas (if you are using canned, just under 1 can)
- 1 small carrot, peeled & roughly chopped
- 1/3 small onion, peeled & roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- Freshly ground black pepper & salt & paprika, to taste
- 1/4 cup flour of choice- I used whole wheat
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor (or blender), process the garlic, carrot, and onion. Now add in the chickpeas (drain them if you are using a can), lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and salt. Process until fully combined.
Add in the and process again. If you are using a blender you may need to abandon in favour of a mixing bowl at this point. If your batter is too “wet” add in a little more flour. You don’t want your falafels breaking apart, it sort of ruins the whole “burger” experience! Finally, stir in the sunflower seeds, pepper and paprika (to taste).
Spoon about 1/4-1/3 cup of batter into baking sheet, leaving about 3-4 inches between each scoop. Wet hands and flatten until patty is about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat for all patties. Sprinkle with Paprika.
Bake at 375F for 18-20 minutes. Now, very gently flip the burgers and bake for another 6-10 minutes. Watch carefully, you’ll know they are ready when they are golden brown and slightly firm. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. If you aren’t going to eat them right away, allow to cool for at least 15 minutes so they can firm up.