The May long weekend is on the horizon and we are looking forward to warm weather and lighter fare! Bring on salads and easy entertaining and foods that are perfect for casual sharing. I’m so excited for the change of seasons this year.

One of my favourite things to eat when we’re out somewhere that serves it is falafel. If I see it on a menu then chances are I’m going to order it. I knew it was made with chickpeas and garlic but beyond that it was a flavour mystery. I sort of enjoyed hunting down this savoury treat and ignorantly enjoying it for what it is and not really knowing much about how it was made. My husband likes them too and the day finally came around when I decided I was ready to tackle this wonder and figure out how to make it at home because it’s a perfect warm weather food.

Traditionally, you would start with dried chickpeas and soak them overnight before blending and forming the falafel. There is no way that I’m going to do that, let’s be honest here. In the past when I’ve had a serving of falafel that wasn’t quite right, that I didn’t enjoy as much as the others, it was because the chickpeas were too dry or felt gritty on the tongue. I decided to simplify this process by using silky Sabra Hummus in place of soaked or tinned chickpeas.

This also allowed me to skip peeling garlic and adding tahini because all that is mixed into the hummus already. I’m pleased to say that it worked rather well and this could be made even easier by substituting fresh herbs for a ready-made paste (the sort that comes in a tube, in the refrigerator section of the produce department.) I used fresh herbs though because that’s what I had on hand.

Falafel

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Total Time: 16 minutes

Easily make these gluten free by substituting gluten free bread crumbs and gluten free all purpose flour.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley (or equivalent paste)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (or equivalent paste)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs, divided
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 283g (10oz) container Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus
• pinch cumin
• 2 tbsp oil for pan frying (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

If baking line a sheet pan with parchment and pre-heat oven to 350

by hand or In a food processor chop fresh herbs until fine.

In a large bowl mix herbs, flour, 1/4 cup bread crumbs (reserving the rest for breading), hummus, lemon juice and cumin. Mix well until incorporated.

If frying heat oil over medium heat in large non-stick pan

Roll falafel mix into balls and flatten slightly into patties

Press into second portion of bread crumbs until coated

If pan frying, place into pan of heated oil and allow to cook approx 3 min per side until golden brown. If baking, place in oven for approx 30 min, flipping at the halfway point. Cook until golden brown.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265Protein: 18g

I served my falafel patties in a pita pocket with cherry tomatoes and cucumber. We drizzled tzatziki over the works and dug in. These would be perfect on top of a lovely salad or set out on a platter as finger food. They’re ideal for dipping into cool tzatziki on a warm afternoon. This recipe makes 8 patties which is fantastic because I have leftovers calling my name for lunch today! I’ll be making these again and again over the summer so I’m off to stock up on hummus. If you wanted to make entertaining even easier, these could be made the day before and re-heated in a tinfoil pack in the oven, on the bbq or even over a campfire!

Make this into a simple gluten free dinner by substituting the bread crumbs and flour. Omit the pita and have these over salad!