How to make a delicious Falafel Salad for a perfect work lunch.
This falafel salad makes a delicious meat-free lunch and is packed with delicious flavours. The chickpeas will need to be left to drain and dry slightly for a few hours before making the falafel, so make sure to keep that in mind before making preparing this tasty salad. This dish is easily made vegan by substituting the Greek yoghurt with a suitable non-dairy yoghurt, and the falafel can be made gluten-free by using chickpea or gram flour in place of the wheat flour.
Prep Time: 15 minutes. Cook Time: 5 minutes. Serves: 3 - 4. Difficulty: Easy.
INGREDIENTS
For the falafel:
- 1 (400g) tin chickpeas
- ½ red onion, roughly diced
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly minced
- 15g fresh parsley (stems & leaves)
- 2 tbsp flour (use chickpea or gram flour for a gluten free option)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- Oil for frying
For the garlic yoghurt dressing:
- 125g plain Greek yoghurt (use dairy free for a vegan option)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- Juice from ½ lemon
- Salt to taste
For the salad:
- 1 large or 2 medium cos lettuce, roughly torn
- 4-6 large cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ½ cucumber, thickly sliced
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 75g kalamata olives
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INSTRUCTIONS
- 1. Before making the falafel, leave chickpeas to drain in a sieve over a bowl or sink for 2-3 hours. (It’s best to leave them to dry out slightly so that the falafel mixture isn’t too soft.)
- 2. After being left to drain, add chickpeas and remaining falafel ingredients, excluding oil, to a food processor. Blitz until mostly smooth. If paste is too dry, add 1-2 tbsp water and blitz to incorporate. You want the paste to be able to hold together but still be slightly firm.
- 3. Roll about 1 tbsp measures of the paste into a balls and flatten each slightly into thick patties. Tip: rub a small bit of oil on your hands to stop the mixture from sticking to you.
- 4. Heat about 2.5-3cm oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Shallow fry both sides of the falafel in the oil until golden. Tip: depending on the size of your frying pan, you may need to do this in 2-3 batches. Leave cooked falafel to drain on paper towel.
- 5. Combine yoghurt dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- 6. Arrange a bed of lettuce on a large serving platter. Scatter over cherry tomatoes, cucumber, onion and olives. Finally, arrange falafel on top.
- 7. Serve with garlic yoghurt dressing and warm pitta bread.
- 8. This dish is easily made vegan by substituting the Greek yoghurt with a suitable non-dairy yoghurt, and the falafel can be made gluten-free by using chickpea or gram flour in place of the wheat flour.
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