Baked Saffron Falafel
4–6 servings  

For this vegan and gluten-free dish, we were inspired by the idea of serving these in wraps made from cabbage leaves, which we tried both raw and also very lightly cooked.    Once again, this is a GUEST RECIPE from Green Kitchen Stories, link below.

 

 

Falafel
½ cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed, drained
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. buckwheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. saffron threads

 

Tahini dressing and assembly
4 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)
4 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 red cabbage, cored (or green cabbage, we used a large sweetheart cabbage)
1 cup salad greens
2–3 Tbsp. plain soy yogurt

 

 

Making the falafel: 

 

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
    

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    

3. Pulse sunflower seeds in a food processor for about 30 seconds.
    

4. Add chickpeas and pulse 1 minute longer.
    

5. Add onion and remaining ingredients and pulse, occasionally scraping down sides of work bowl, until mixture is slightly coarse and well combined.
    

6. Using your hands, form 24 small round falafels and place on prepared sheet.
    

7. Bake, turning every 5 minutes, until falafels are evenly brown, about 15 minutes.

 

 

Making Tahini dressing: 
 

Using a fork, beat tahini, orange juice, and garlic in a bowl until creamy dressing forms. Set aside.

 

Assembling:

 

Gently separate leaves from cabbage; rinse and pat dry. Place 2 falafels in the center of a cabbage leaf. Top with a few greens; spoon a little dressing and yogurt over. Fold each side of leaf in toward centre.