Falafel with Tahini Garlic Sauce
/I’ve been meaning to revisit my original falafel recipe for awhile now. I knew it could use a little facelift and why not also add a garlic infused tahini sauce to slather on top? People [myself included] always seem to be on the hunt for non-fried falafel recipes, so I wanted to make sure this one was juuust right.
Here’s how I changed things:
Instead of adding quinoa to help bind the patties I decided to try out millet this time. With its natural tendency to stick together more than quinoa, softer flavor, and heartier texture, I thought it would be the perfect fit.
And it was. Millet for the win.
I know it’s kind of a pain to cook millet and then make the burgers but it’s still a pretty simple recipe. And this gives you the perfect excuse to cook a big batch of millet to eat throughout the week for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
More parsley was added this time and the carrot was dropped. I also used partially ground oats instead of oat flour, but you can really use either.
I knew I wanted to make some type of non-yogurt, non-humus sauce to top these babies with, which then led me to tahini. It was the perfect base for this thick, garlic-infused sauce and was prepped in just minutes.
I prefer these wrapped in a collard leaf or stuffed between flatbread with crunchy veggie toppings and plenty of sauce.
Falafel with Tahini Garlic Sauce
gluten-free, vegan // yields 8, 3-inch patties
tahini garlic sauce
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, or honey
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
falafel
- 3 med. cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/4 cup chickpeas
- 1/3 cup lightly packed parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup cooked + cooled millet, how to cook millet
- 3 tablespoons pepitas, or sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup partially ground gluten-free rolled oats, or GF oat flour
- oil for cooking
Place tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup, smashed garlic, and salt in a small jar. Seal the jar and shake until fully combined. Set aside for flavors to develop and sauce to thicken. Adjust salt/sweetness if needed. Remove garlic before serving.
Place peeled garlic cloves in a large food processor and turn on until minced. Add in the onion, 3/4 cup chickpeas, parsley, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Turn on and let process until it reaches a similar consistency to egg salad. +/-10 seconds. Scrape the bowl and pulse a few more times if needed. You don’t want it fully pureed.
Add in 1/2 cup chickpeas, cooled millet, and pepitas. Pulse until combined with the rest of the mixture. About 10 pulses. This step helps give the falafel texture. Do not over-process. Place mixture in a bowl and stir in the ground oats. The mixture should be soft but not wet and should easily form patties and hold together very well.
Heat a 10-inch pan over medium with about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Form about 8, 3-inch patties and place 3-4 in the pan once hot. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown then flip and cook another 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Place in a warm oven, add more oil to the pan, and continue with the next batch.
Serve on a bun or wrapped in a collard leaf with tahini sauce, cucumbers, radishes, avocado, etc.
notes: Grind gluten-free rolled oats in a coffee grinder, blender, food processor etc. until about 1/2 way [or a bit more] to flour. I like to cook 1/2 cup raw millet, which yields just under 2 cups cooked and gives you some leftover.
And those crispy sweet potato strings? You will definitely be hearing more about those soon.
Ashley
