Homemade Falafel with Flatbread (vegan & gluten-free)

reading time: ca. 3 min




After making Buckwheat Wraps with "Aioli" Bean Cream + Spinach Pesto i decided to make my own vegan, gluten-free Falafel served with homemade flatbread and salad.


I absolutely love falafel (the picture above was taken at an Arabic bistro called Yalla Yalla that serves great falafel with hummus, slaw and veggies), but most of the recipes i found online use loads of oil which i don't really like. But eventually i found some! 

The flatbread turned out more like a pancake and less than a regular pita because it is quite thin, but it's super soft and rollable (is that even a word?), so you can place your falafel and salad comfortably inside the flatbread and wrap it tidily.


VEGAN FALAFEL

adapted from Dana @ Minimalist Baker

Preparation time: 45 mins + 1 hour cooling time
Main ingredients: chickpeas, garlic, cumin
difficulty level: moderate
makes: around 20 falafel
suitable for: vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, low-fat

Ingredients

2 cans (425 g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 minced white onions
2 tbsp finely chopped nuts (optional)
1 1/2 tsp cumin, plus more to taste
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tsp dried coriander
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp paprika powder
3-4 tbsp (30 g) gluten-free flour (or sub oat flour) - i used spelt flour

1-2 tbsp sunflower seed oil each time for frying

optional additions:
Greek salad
"Aioli" garlic sauce
Hummus
Coleslaw 


Instructions

Add chickpeas, onion, garlic, nuts, spices, salt and pepper to your food processor and mix/pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed until thoroughly combined. Instead of a paste, your aiming for a rather crumbly dough. 

Transfer the dough into a bowl, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time and mix to combine until no longer wet and you can mold the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. - You want the flavour to be pretty bold, so don't be shy. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to firm up. 

In the meantime, prepare the Aioli and your flatbread.


DIY FLATBREAD

Preparation time: 20 mins
Main ingredients: flour, flaxseed, cumin
difficulty level: easy
makes: around 7 pancakes
suitable for: vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free, nut-free, low-fat

Ingredients

350g wholegrain spelt flour
50g ground flaxseed
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
550ml water

vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

First, make the flatbread "pancakes". Combine all listed ingredients except for the frying oil in a mixing bowl, let set. Lightly grease a skillet with oil, and heat up. Then scoop your batter onto the skillet using a spoon or a small ladle and quickly but gently spread out so the pancakes will be even and not as thick. On medium-low heat, bake for about 2 minutes, then flip, and repeat on the other side. I got 7 very flat flatbreads/pancakes out if this.

Now back to the falafel. 


Once chilled, scoop out rounded tablespoon amounts of dough and gently form into small discs. I got almost 20 discs out of this amount of dough! 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to generously coat the pan - about 2 tablespoons per round. Swirl to coat. Once the oil is hot, add as many falafel as will fit very comfortably in the pan at a time - about 5 or 7, depending on the size of your pan. 


Cook until all falafel are browned, flipping when the underside is deep golden brown and crispy. They will also firm up more once slightly cooled! Serve warm or cooled down with Aioli or Hummus, inside a flatbread with desired toppings or atop a bed of salad. 

Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator covered for several days. 


Good luck :)


♥

Maisy

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