To answer the usual question - why is this marked quick and easy when the falafel take an hour? - while the falafel takes about over an hour including chill time, the salad only takes 20 min. The salad is better colder, so consider making it the night before to the lessen the load come dinner prep time.
An additional note about the carrot falafel: last year, I made a red pepper soup and added sesame crusted carrot balls to give it a bit more oomph. This recipe for carrot falafel is a bit healthier mainly because it doesn't call for cheese. Even vegan cheese can be high in saturated fat, so best to avoid all together.
Depending on your diet, grain might change your mind on which carrot ball to make though,This recipe calls for oat flour, while the other recipe calls for panko. Could there be that much difference? Here's the breakdown per 1/4 cup:
Calories: 112 in Oat Flour, 120 in Panko, +1 for Oat Flour
Fat calories: 21 in Oat Flour, 40 in Panko, +1 for Oat Flour
Carbs: 24 g in Oat Flour, 19 g in Panko, +1 for Panko
Fiber: 1 g in Oat Flour, 1 g in Panko, draw.
So if you're more carb conscious, go ahead and use the previous recipe. If you're more worried about your fat intake and cholesterol (as I am), try this one out.
Modified Falafel Recipe by Blissful Basil | Serves: 15 balls | Time: 1+ hr (includes 30 min chilling time)
Ingredients
1/2 lb #carrots, peeled and diced
1 Neat Egg
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup packed cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup packed flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp coriander
S&P to taste
Instructions
Add the carrots to a food processor fitted with the s-blade and pulse 40 to 45 times, or until very finely grated (about the size of uncooked couscous). Then, add the Neat Egg, flax meal, oat flour, cilantro, parsley, red onion, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, coriander, sea salt, and black pepper to the food processor; pulse 40 to 60 times to thoroughly chop and mix, stopping frequently to scrape down the sides and fold ingredients in toward the blade. You want everything to be well-incorporated but be careful not to over process because you still want a bit of texture. It will be a wet, damp mixture but should hold its shape.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill the mixture.
About 10 minutes before removing the mixture from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 375 F and line a large baking pan with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
Pour the sesame seeds into a shallow bowl or dish.
Using a lightly greased 1 1/2-tablespoon scoop, scoop out mounds of the falafel dough, drop into the sesame seeds, and use a spoon to evenly coat, and carefully transfer to the lined baking tray.
Bake 26 to 30 minutes, or until the exteriors are crisp and golden and the bottoms are golden-brown. Let cool slightly before serving. I made a simple Greek yoghurt sauce with mint and lemon juice to serve.
Slightly Adjusted a Two Healthy Kitchens Tabouli Recipe | Makes: 5 cups | Time: ~20 min (Make ahead of time so it can chill in the fridge)
Ingredients
1/4 cup uncooked #quinoa
4 cups finely chopped #kale (tough stems removed)
1.5 cups finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 cup seeded, chopped #tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 tsp dried mint
Dressing:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup EVO
S&P to taste
Instructions
Prepare quinoa according to package directions and allow to cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, kale, parsley, tomatoes, onion, and mint, stirring to mix thoroughly.
In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, making sure that all salt is dissolved. Pour dressing over kale mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Today's Fruit and Veggies: Banana, beets, arugula, orange, pomegranate, carrots, kale, and tomato makes 8!
What I ate and drank today
8 glasses of water
3 cups of decaf
1 banana
Roasted beet salad with arugula, orange and pomegranate
1/2 peanut butter and basil sandwich
Carrot falafel with tabouli salad
Red wine
Exercise
30 minutes of strength training (arms and core)
~7.5 miles of walking