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
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a small skillet over medium heat to toast cumin seeds. Toast until golden brown, approximately 3 minutes.
- 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.
- Place falafel balls on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- 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
- Place kale and scallions in food processor and pulse until chopped.
- Add cashews, nutritional yeast, rice milk and garlic, pulse again to combine.
- Slowly add sea salt, lemon juice, oil and chili powder.
- 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!
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The vegan falafel and pesto ROCKS!!!! Love this stuff! Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks so much, Sarah; I hope you enjoy it. It’s my favorite recipe….Have a great day and let me know how you like it.
Best,
Amie
I’ve been craving falafel balls lately!! Thanks for your recipe!! 🙂
Enjoy; they’re quite delish…have a great weekend! Thank you!
This sounds so good. I always forget how much I like falafels. Silly huh? I’ve never made them from scratch either – always buy the boxed stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, Heather; so glad you enjoyed the recipe…Let me know how they turn out. Have a great weekend. Best, Amie