An easy, non-traditional falafel recipe that’s full of flavor! Naturally vegan and gluten free, and perfect for topping grain bowls, salads, pita sandwiches, and more!
Author:Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:50 minutes
Total Time:1 hour
Yield:10 patties
Category:Dinner
Method:Bake
Diet:Vegan
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1/2 cup roughly chopped sweet onion
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 large handful flat-leafed parsley
2 tsp. cumin
a pinch of cayenne (optional)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
salt + pepper
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking pan with oil.
Cook your quinoa according to package instructions. Allow time to cool for about 15 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add your oil and once hot, add your chopped onion and garlic. Sauté, stirring every so often, until your onion is fairly translucent, being careful not to burn your garlic.
Add the mixture (including the oil) to a food processor with your lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley, and pulse until broken down some. The quinoa doesn’t blend for too long, so you should get the onion and parsley chunks to just about the size you want them in your final product.
Add the cooked and slightly cooled quinoa, cumin, cayenne, baking soda, and salt and pepper and pulse until the quinoa starts to pull away from the sides like dough. You don’t want to puree it totally. You <em>do</em> want it to look like a slightly pureed quinoa mixture that’s sticky. If it’s too dry, add a bit of olive oil (starting with 1 tsp.) and mix by hand. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Form into 10 balls (you may want to wet your hands slightly if the mixture is too sticky), place them on your prepared baking pan, and flatten them slightly with the back of a measuring cup. Brush the tops with more oil.
Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully flip and bake for another 10. Allow to cool on the baking sheet, then enjoy!