Last night I decided to create a tasty, unique dinner…something I’ve never made before…falafel balls, and boy o’ boy did they turn out delicious!  With the big snow storm coming our way, I snuggled into my apartment and created a warm falafel pita overflowing with extra veggies, of course.  The combination of seeds, mushrooms n’ nuts makes this dish incredibly palate pleasing.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 3 Tbsp. ground black or tan sesame seeds
• 2 1/2 cups button mushrooms, diced
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• Dash of sea salt and pepper
• Large pinch paprika
• Large pinch chili powder
• 1 large carrot, peeled and then cut into small pieces
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup cashews or walnuts
• 1 cup pumpkin or sesame seeds
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
• Whole grain or gluten-free pita bread, for serving
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt or hummus, for serving
• 1/2 cucumber, finely sliced for serving
• 1/2 red onion, finely sliced for serving
• 1 cup dark leafy greens, finely chopped and ends trimmed for serving
• Fresh lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the flax and sesame seeds.
• In a separate bowl, combine mushrooms, shallot, oil, garlic, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
• In a food processor, combine the carrot, almonds, cashews and basil. Puree until very smooth then add the mushroom mixture and puree again until smooth. Roll the mixture into small balls and then roll into the flax sesame mixture. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked.
• Let falafel balls cool and stuff into pita bread with cucumber, onion, dark leafy greens and a dollop of yogurt.
• Drizzle with juice from lemon wedges.
• Enjoy!