Roasted garlic falafel

I havn't made a lot of falafel before and my first try about a week ago, looked amazing, tasted great but when I picked them up they crumbled up and I had to eat them with a spoon....

I had to retry it and this time they came up perfectly. The first time I used dried beans and I guess that was my fault. The second time I took canned beans and the result was great. Much more moistend.
I served them with some salad.

For all those who like roasted garlic as much as I do, here's the recipe.

Roasted Garlic Falafel

Yummmmmy roasted garlic! I actually made this for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to post it. They were quick to make, looked amazing, and tasted even better. But when I tried to pick them up, they crumbled into a million pieces. Had to serve them with a spoon. Sad.

But now I come to you with a recipe for the creamiest roasted garlic falafel and they even stay together! Hurrah! And even if the first recipe was a huge mess, I'm very happy to eat these roasted garlic falafel repeatedly. I think the only issue with my last attempt is that I'd used garbanzo beans that I'd cooked from dry, and they weren't as soft as canned. Canned worked perfectly this time!

If you've never made falafel before, I think you'll be surprised at how easy they are. I was. And it's the kind of recipe that you can easily change to suit whatever your tastes are, or whatever you have in your fridge. I like to make falafel to use up herbs before they go bad, since I always seem to have half a box of herbs in my fridge that risk being forgotten.

But who doesn't love roasted garlic? Seriously. I want names.

serves 4

1 head garlic

2 C chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 T whole wheat flour

1/4 t ground cayenne

1 T ground cumin

1 t onion powder

3 T olive oil, divided

1 large clove raw garlic (only for garlic fanatics like myself)

pinch salt & pepper

handful of herbs (you really can use as much as you want; I've made falafel that comes out green - nothing wrong with that!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut just the top off the roasted garlic - just a little bit, so that you cut at least a teeny from every single clove. Place the little lid back on, wrap the whole head in tin foil, and roast for about 45 minutes. Take out and let cool before making falafel.

Place all ingredients (except two tablespoons of the oil) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Form into patties.

Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan and cook falafel until crispy on each side and warmed through. I like to serve them on a big salad or in a wrap. And I poured over some yummy hummus dressing from Trader Joe's - you could just spread on some hummus or thin some out with soy milk for a dressing. Mmmmm.

Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 265; Calories from Fat: 116; Total Fat: 12.8g; Saturated Fat: 1.7g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 14mg; Total Carbohydrates: 30.6g; Dietary Fiber: 7.1g; Sugars: 4.4g; Protein: 8.7g

serves 4

1 head garlic

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. onion powder

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 large clove raw garlic (only for garlic fanatics like myself)

pinch salt & pepper

handful of herbs (you really can use as much as you want; I've made falafel that comes out green - nothing wrong with that!)

Direction:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut just the top off the roasted garlic - just a little bit, so that you cut at least a teeny from every single clove. Place the little lid back on, wrap the whole head in tin foil, and roast for about 45 minutes. Take out and let cool before making falafel.

Place all ingredients (except two tablespoons of the oil) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Form into patties.

 

Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan and cook falafel until crispy on each side and warmed through.

 

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Sweet Potato and Orange Zest Soup

 

 

 

 

Ingredients
3 cups sweet potato, cubed
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and black pepper to season
5 cups vegetarian broth
1/2 tsp. dried cumin
Pinch of dried cloves
1 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
Salt to taste

Direction:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large roasting pan, toss sweet potato, onion, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast, uncovered, for 25 minutes stirring once halfway to make sure everything is cooking evenly.

In a large pot, add the roasted mix. You will not need any extra oil since the sweet potatoes will still be lightly coated from the roasting. Add broth, cumin, cloves, orange zest and ginger, and bring to a boil. Add salt if necessary. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.

With a hand blender or with a food processor, blend the soup until completely smooth and no chunks remain. Serve hot with sour cream or croutons.