Falafel.

23 January 2013.

Baked Falafel, with Eggplant and Greens.

That's right -- falafel is vegan. It's easy to make yourself at home, and if you make it yourself, you can also eliminate some of the oil by baking rather than frying.

In my last post, I wrote about the epic bag of chickpeas I found in the pantry. tin & I ambitiously soaked and cooked all 500g of them, which means that, in spite of the large jar of humus I made, there were still chickpeas to be eaten. I used about 200g for the humus, and probably about 300g for the falafel. (Yes, there are still chickpeas in my refrigerator -- but not for long.) You're, of course, also welcome to use canned chickpeas.

I put the chickpeas in my food processor along with two tablespoons of whole wheat flour. For flavor, I added the juice & zest of half a lemon, freshly ground black pepper, and 3 Tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley. I gave the whole thing a whirl until it formed a crumble (like the humus before). I then added a drizzle of olive oil (not more than a tablespoon) and salt (to taste).

Using a soup spoon, I scooped about 2 Tbsp. of the mixture at a time -- and I got my hands dirty. You'll need to work the mixture your hands a bit and encourage the crumble to form a ball. Put the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1/2 inch apart. They'll need to bake for about twenty minutes -- turn them over halfway through the baking time.

Falafel is traditionally served in pita bread with salad greens and diced tomatoes. You're, of course, more than welcome to honor tradition. I put a twist on it by serving my falafel balls with a side of eggplant and cooked greens.

It's important to remember that just eliminating animal-based products is not alone a recipe for good health. Like our omnivorous counterparts, vegans also have to beware of the ratio of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, etc. that make an appearance on our plates. As a general rule of thumb, I try to cover at least half of my plate with vegetables. Having a nonstick skillet at your disposal, as well as nonstick pots, are your best defense against adding unnecessary fat to your food -- an onion and garlic have enough "liquid" in them to cook in a nonstick skillet without any additional oil.

I used half of a medium-sized eggplant, slicing it into 1/4" rounds (the rest of the eggplant will keep for a few days in your refrigerator). I placed the eggplant rounds along with the falafel balls on my baking sheet and sprinkled them with salt and pepper to taste. I then popped the baking sheet into my oven, preheated to 350 degrees. They, like the falafel balls, will need to be turned over midway through the baking time.

As I planned to cook my greens rather than serving a raw salad, I chose two sturdier specimens: a small bok choy and half of a medium-sized radicchio. I sliced one medium-sized white onion and two cloves of garlic (yes, I sliced my garlic -- you are welcome to dice if you wish). For a little kick of flavor, I sliced one bulb of fennel, greens & all. I put the onions, fennel and garlic in the pot first and allowed them to cook with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper until the onion was translucent. I then added the chopped bok choy and radicchio (both will cook down, so leave the pieces fairly large), covered, and cooked on low, stirring occasionally. Don't cook it to death -- the "salad" component will only take a couple of minutes to reach the desired tenderness. Turn the heat off and leave it covered if you're still waiting on the oven.

To finish it all off, I prepared a sauce in the spirit of tzatziki -- which is yoghurt based. Fortunately, there are plenty of soy alternatives to yoghurt (you'll probably find them, with the rest of the soy products, next to the soy milk, margarine and tofu in the refrigerator section). I used Provamel -- the "natural" flavor is great with baked potatoes (instead of sour cream), as a thickener in soups and sauces, and as-is on cereal, with fruit, or mixed into oatmeal. I used about 1/2 cup of soy yoghurt, 2 tsp. of lemon juice, and the zest of half a lemon. I finished it off with a tablespoon of fresh parsley, and stirred it all together -- done.

We enjoyed our falafel balls with the aforementioned sides, a dab of the tzatziki, and warmed sesame-seed bread that tin picked up from a local Middle Eastern corner store.