Fantastic Falafel Waffles
This recipe comes from the kitchen of holistic nutritionist and whole-food chef Sarah Britton. Sarah is the creator of My New Roots and My New Roots Grow, a wellness platform and expansive resource for cooking tutorials, holistic living, exclusive recipes, breathwork, and movement classes.
Today, Sarah shares her secret to perfecting falafels — how to get them crisp without deep frying? How to get them to hold together without eggs? What is the right balance of herbs and spices? Why are they so darn delicious at a restaurant and so darn underwhelming at home?!
First, it involves NOT cooking your chickpeas. Nope. Not even for a second. Of course that this is the traditional way to do it, but I was skeptical for some reason. Skeptical that I wouldn’t turn into a giant, human gas factory. Any of you who have had the misfortune of eating poorly cooked legumes will understand what I’m talking about. It’s pretty uncomfortable. And not just for you. BUT! Miracle of miracles, this did not happen, and on top of a happy tummy, my falafels came out crisp, deliciously spiced, and they didn’t fall apart at all.The chickpeas must start out raw and they must be soaked for 24 hours. Make sure to add an acidic medium to the water (I use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar), give them a good rinse after draining, and you should be okay. I used chickpea flour as a binder, instead of all-purpose flour (duh) and this worked great to hold all those tasty ingredients together. If you can’t find chickpea flour, try another gluten-free flour, which I’m pretty certain will work just as well. Fresh herbs are also a must for flavor — I chose both flat-leaf parsley and cilantro — so that the “dough” will look rather verdant once blended up.The second trick is contact with high heat. Deep frying gives us the most crisp and delicious falafels, but it also gives us a whole host of un-want-ables, like oxidized fats and free radicals. Boo. You can cook falafels in the oven, but the dough is never going to get super crisp because the heat is surrounding the falafel instead of connecting directly with it. Again, boo.
Enter: the waffle iron. A waffle iron uses high heat that can come into direct contact with the dough, and with minimal fat. Plus it’s fun to say. Falafel Waffle. Obviously, this was meant to be.
We all know that chickpeas are fiber all-stars, providing 50% of your RDI in just one cup, (whoa!) but they have another party trick up their sleeve that I bet you didn’t know about. Two-thirds of the fiber in chickpeas is insoluble, meaning that it doesn’t break down during digestion, but instead moves through our digestive tract unchanged until it hits the large intestine. The fun starts here, where friendly bacteria (think probiotics!) go to town on said insoluble fiber and actually break it down to create short-chain fatty acids, including acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. These short-chain fatty acids can then be absorbed by the cells that line the wall of our large intestine and used for energy! How rad is that?! Butyric acid is in fact the preferred source of energy for the cells lining our colon, and with this bonus fuel comes greater potential for optimally active and healthy cells. This translates into a reduced risk of colon problems including colon cancer. So friends, invite chickpeas to your next dinner party — they’ll feed you and your colon cells. Can your pot roast do that?
Falafel Ingredients:
2 cups dried, organic chickpeas
2 cloves organic garlic
½ cup chopped + packed / 45g flat-leaf organic parsley
½ cup chopped + packed / 35g organic cilantro
1½ tbsp ground organic cumin
1½ tsp ground organic cinnamon
2 tsp ground organic coriander
1½ tsp fine grain sea salt (to taste, depends on if using canned)
1 tsp cracked black pepper
zest of 1 organic lemon
3 tbsp freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
⅔ cup / 115g organic chickpea flour
¼ cup / 60ml spring water, as needed
1 tsp organic coconut oil for greasing the waffle iron
1 batch Harissa Tahini Sauce (recipe to follow)
1 batch Bright Cabbage Slaw (recipe to follow)
Bright Cabbage Slaw Ingredients:
4 cups / 300g finely shredded organic red cabbage
¾ tsp fine grain sea salt
1½ tbsp organic lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp organic maple syrup or organic honey, to taste
Handful of organic chopped parsley, cilantro, or both
Bright Cabbage Slaw Assembly:
Combine the cabbage, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Massage the salt and lemon into the cabbage for about a minute until it begins to wilt. Drizzle with maple syrup if desired, season to taste and fold in the herbs.
Harissa Tahini Sauce Ingredients:
⅓ cup / 80ml organic tahini
1 large clove organic garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp freshly-squeezed organic lemon juice
1 tbsp organic olive oil
2 tsp organic Harissa Paste (available at Middle Eastern grocers)
Pinch of sea salt, to taste
1 tsp organic maple syrup or organic honey
½ cup spring water, as needed
Harissa Tahini Sauce Assembly:
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy, adding water to thin as desired. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.
Falafel Assembly:
Cover chickpeas with plenty of water and 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Let soak for 24 hours. Drain and rinse very well. Set aside.
In a food processor, mince garlic. Add the chickpeas, chopped herbs, spices, lemon zest and juice. Pulse until the chickpeas are very finely minced, but not paste-y. Transfer contents to a large mixing bowl.
Add the chickpea flour and mix well, then add the water a few spoonfuls at a time until the mixture holds together well when pressed.
Make the Bright Cabbage Slaw and Harissa Tahini Sauce, if using.
Heat your waffle iron to medium-high. Brush with a little coconut oil. Divide the falafel dough into 10-12 equal portions, Gently pack each portion together so that it holds well, especially around the edges. Flatten out the portion you are using and press into the hot waffle iron, lower the lid and cook anywhere from 5-10 minutes, depending on your equipment. The falafel is done when it is golden brown and crisp. Remove from waffle iron and place in a warm oven until ready to serve.
Serve hot falafel waffles with the Bright Cabbage Slaw, Harissa Tahini Sauce, red onion, avocado, sprouts, chili flakes and anything else you fancy! Enjoy.
Makes 10-12 waffles
Join Grow’s Blossom Tier! Experience all that Sarah’s wellness universe has to offer, for only $5 your first month. Use code THEFULLEST at checkout!Since October 2007, Sarah Britton’s successful blog, My New Roots, has inspired eaters from around the world alongside her two cookbooks and mini-series on Food Network Canada’s The Substitute Baker. My New Roots Grow is Sarah’s very own wellness platform, an expansive resource for cooking tutorials, holistic living, exclusive recipes, breathwork and movement classes, and so much more. Sarah’s deep love for nature’s bounty and seasonality shines through in all she creates, and her most recent study and journey into the power of breathwork continues to take Sarah and the My New Roots community to new heights.
