Falafel with homemade hummus and salad

Falafel is a traditional middle eastern food which is made from the legume’s chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) or fava beans. Chickpeas are a good source of protein, fibre, folate, manganese, magnesium and potassium, therefore being beneficial to heart health. Additionally, chickpeas are a low glycaemic index (GI) food therefore keeping your blood sugar levels steady.

This is probably my favourite vegetarian meal which I make quite frequently. You can also make an extra batch and freeze for snacks if you like!

You will need a food processor for this falafel recipe...

1 cup of dried chickpeas (soaked overnight)

8-10 cloves of garlic diced (add less if you wish!)

1/2 bunch of spring onions diced

1/2 bunch fresh coriander diced

1/2 bunch fresh parsley diced

1 teaspoon (tsp) of salt (I use Celtic sea salt)

Ground pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp chilli flakes or fresh chilli (you can omit the cayenne and chilli if you don't want the kick)

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp of turmeric

Extra virgin olive oil for shallow frying or baking.

Firstly, you will need to soak the dried chickpeas overnight. Soak them in a reasonably sized bowl with plenty of water to allow for expansion. Rinse them off when you're ready to go and place in a large size bowl. Add the diced garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, salt, pepper and spices. Mix ingredients through with your hands. I usually add half the mixture into the food processor and blend, and then mix the other half (you may not be able to fit the whole bowl of ingredients into your processor).

Once you have your mixture make it into felafel balls and put on a plate, it usually makes 12-15 balls. I recommend flattening them a little (like a doughnut shape) so they're easier to fry or bake. You can then either shallow fry them on both sides or bake in the oven. Serve with homemade humus and salad. I love adding olives and pickles to my salad!

Homemade hummus...

I love hummus but unfortunately most of the hummus (and most other dips for that matter) that you buy at the supermarket have preservatives and inflammatory oils added such as sunflower and canola oil. These ingredients are bad news for your cardiovascular, immune, respiratory, reproductive and mental health. This is why I started making my own hummus, and it’s so easy! You will also need a food processor for this one...

1 can of chickpeas, or you can use dried chickpeas soaked overnight and then cooked the next day for 45 mins to 1 hour if you have more time

5-6 cloves of garlic, you can bake it for 15 minutes in olive oil if you don't want the fresh garlic taste

1/2 squeezed lemon

1/2 -1 tablespoon (tbsp) of tahini (I use unhulled tahini)

1 tsp of salt (add less if you wish)

Cracked pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Be creative if you like and add spices to taste. I add 1/2 tsp of paprika and 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes.

Add the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, salt and pepper to your food processor and blend. Then while blending further add the olive oil until you get the desired consistency and taste. You can also add a tiny amount of water while blending to make it creamier. You may not get your hummus perfect on the first go, it can be about adjusting the amounts of the tahini, lemon juice and salt for example until you get it just right for your tastebuds! Enjoy!