I recently had a yearning for some falafel after seeing them on the streets of Manhattan at every street fair imaginable… I thought I’d recipe test by creating a vegan falafel ball with a kale pesto dipping sauce.  I opted to add the Kale Cashew Pesto as a dipping sauce for an extra kick, you can also add in more cashews for a creamier texture.

Vegan Falafel Balls

Ingredients

• 1 (16 oz. can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp. lime zest
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 ½ Tbsp. cumin seeds, toasted
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. rice flour
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small skillet over medium heat to toast cumin seeds.  Toast until golden brown, approximately 3 minutes.
3. In a food processor combine chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, sea salt, white pepper and chili powder; pulse process until coarsely chopped. Add water, ground flax seeds and rice flour.  Using your hands, mold into golf-sized balls.
4. Place falafel balls on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and serve warm with Kale Cashew Pesto (below).

Kale Cashew Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 cups kale, steamed and roughly chopped
• ¼ cup scallions, chopped
• ½ cup cashews, toasted
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup rice milk
• 2 cloves garlic, roasted
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1. Place kale and scallions in food processor and pulse until chopped.
2. Add cashews, nutritional yeast, rice milk and garlic, pulse again to combine.
3. Slowly add sea salt, lemon juice, oil and chili powder.
4. Continue pulsing until smooth.

Have you ever made falafel? If so, I’d love to hear your recipe…it’s such a fun, creative way to jazz up a classic recipe such as falafel and add in your own ‘kick’ of flavor.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!