Baked Falafel

The first time I tried Falafel was last year, right after I went vegan. 

I went to a mediterranean restaurant with my family and looked through the menu thinking "Ugh, I'm just going to have to get another salad again" until I saw the magical word "falafel". 

Falafel was the only vegan option (besides a plain salad) that they had a the restaurant. 

The waiter brought my falafel to the table with pita bread and a side of hummus.
The falafel was warm, crunchy, and delicious.
Since then I've had falafel a few times, but I try not to eat it too often because let's be honest, it's not a health food. It's something that I would consider "vegan junk food", because it's deep fried.

Finally, I realized that I didn't have to go to a restaurant to get falafel. I could make it at home, and better yet, I could BAKE it. Low fat, low sodium, and just as delicious. The only thing I worried about when making this was the crunchiness. 

How was it going to be crunchy without oil? 

BREAD CRUMBS, not any old bread crumbs, but whole wheat - whole grain bread crumbs. 

When my falafel came out of the oven, I let it cool for about 3 seconds before I ate one and burned the inside of my mouth. I'm so impatient!

Not only was it crunchy, but the flavor was there too. 

My whole family enjoyed these for dinner, I almost didn't have enough to take pictures!

These falafel patties are great for any party, and so easy to make! 

You can impress your friends by bringing out a delicious appetizer that is not only healthy, but vegan and gluten-free too! 

Ingredients (makes 24 patties):

• 2 cans organic chickpeas 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup whole grain organic bread crumbs or gluten free bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1/4 cup organic low sodium vegetable broth 
• juice from 1 lemon
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line baking pan with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet.  In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and pulse until the mixture is well combined and slightly chunky. Using a cookie scoop, make equally sized falafel patties and place on baking pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the bottom side is golden brown. Flip the patties to brown the other side  and bake for another 6-8 minutes. Once both sides are golden brown, remove them from the oven. Let them cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!