Falafel {coconut flour}

Update: I removed the 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, and also tested the baking portion of the notes.

You can make this nut-free by using a seed butter such as pumpkin or sunflower seed butter.

For the lemon yogurt sauce you see in the photos, I mixed together 1 cup of yogurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, a pinch or two of salt, and about a teaspoon of dried dill. To make it thinner and more pourable, add more lemon juice or a dash of red wine vinegar.

I now bake these instead of frying them so I've replaced the frying directions with baking directions. The only drawback is they won't have the outer crust to them from frying.

To fry the falafels: Preheat a frying pan or skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil to coat the pan. Drop 1 to 2 tablespoons of falafel batter (for each patty) in the frying pan. Let one side of each falafel brown to firmness before flipping to prevent the falafel from falling apart. Brown them on each side and then place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. I find I don't need much oil layer in the pan to cook these. You'll need about 2 tablespoons or so of cooking oil as well.

Servings: falafel patties

Calories: 74kcal

Equipment

Food processor

Ingredients

2 large carrots
2 green onions
1 cup parsley
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove peeled
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons coconut flour
½ cup unsalted roasted almond butter or other nut or seed butter

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4). Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper or a non-stick mat.
Place the carrots, onions, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until well chopped.
Add the eggs, coconut flour, and nut butter to the food processor and pulse for several seconds to blend well. I like the batter to be smooth so I pulse it until it's the consistency of thick cake batter. You can also store the batter in the refrigerator and cook the falafel when you're ready.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter to form a patty and place it on the baking dish. Repeat for the remainder of the batter.
Bake for 20 minutes or until they are firm enough to lift off the baking sheet.
Serve warm or room temperature on top of a salad, with tahini or lemon yogurt sauce. For a dairy-free sauce, replace the yogurt with a dairy-free yogurt or my dairy-free ranch dressing.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze for a few weeks.

Nutrition