Oh.em.gee you guys! Do I have a recipe for YOU!
It’s glorious, it’s green, and man oh man is it GOOD.
You see, I am somewhat of a Middle-Eastern-food-fanatic. I eat it every single day and no, I’m not joking. Hummus and pita all day every day. Mashed between my hummus and pita are crunchy little balls of goodness called Falafel aka deliciousness.
Are you drooling yet?
Incase you have not dabbled in the ball world (Falafel balls, that is), allow me to show you the light. Falafel is considered to be a Middle Eastern “street food.” Deep fried and wrapped in pita, these tasty morsels have less than stellar nutritional stats due to the method used to cook them. I have done you a favor and lightened them up by baking them, which eliminates a great deal of calories and fat. What this means is you can go balls to the wall and enjoy even more!
The “almost traditional” part is due to the fact that the binder in traditional Falafel is an egg, and mine are VEGAN! :)
My Falafel is a garbanzo bean patty that offers a punch of flavor from lots of fresh parsley, mint, onion, and spices. I cut down on calories and fat by baking them, but do not lose any of the flavor! Wrap them in a warm, toasted pita with hummus and tahini, garnish with a cucumber/onion salsa, and devour!
These balls will easily be your new best friend. Promise 
- 15 oz chickpeas, soaked and rinsed
- 1 large bushel of parsley (about 2 cups non-chopped)
- ¼ c fresh mint (non-chopped)
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 tbls fresh lemon juice
- 1 flax egg (1 tbls flax seed + 3 tbls water)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 rounded tsp cumin
- 1.5 rounded tsp coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbls EVOO
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 c plain bread crumbs, roughly
- Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease baking sheet with EVOO
- Blend in food processor or blender: parsley, lemon juice, flax egg, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and smoked paprika
- Add chickpeas, mint, and onion and pulse until coarser texture is achieved. DO NOT puree.
- Transfer to bowl and add baking powder and breadcrumbs. Only add enough breadcrumbs to hold the mixture together
- Using ice cream scoop, two spoons, or hands, portion out 2 tbls sized balls and place on greased cookie sheet
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown the bottom
Look at all of that gorgeous, fresh parsley
Be sure to pulse this mixture, not puree
Add baking powder in and then add bread crumbs in small amounts until consistency is not too dry, but holds together
Cup Form your balls
DEVOUR over and over again!
The perfect bite!
Hurry! Brighten up your day with Falafel balls! 
Tagged: falafel, green, hummus, middle eastern, recipe, recipes, vegan, vegetables
Falafel is one of my favorite foods!! I love that you baked this – This is definitely going on my meal plan next week!
SO easy to make and SO good. They key is fresh parsley and mint
I love middle-eastern cuisine and falafel is one of my favorite dishes. Can’t wait to try the baked version!
Thanks for sharing and thank you for the lovely comment left on my guest post on Jen’s blog
I enjoyed the post! Thanks for stopping by, I hope you love them baked
I love falafel and I love your photos! I need to try this ASAP!
Thank you! They are ridiculously addicting and delicious
I *love* falafel and have been searching for a recipe to try instead of making the pre-packaged kind. Can’t wait to make this!
I hope you love them as much as I do!
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Yum! Falafels are the best!! I sometimes make them as patties instead of balls and use them in burgers.
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