Falafel Salad Bowls
Ditch the standard pita and serve falafels as part of a colorful falafel salad bowl.
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The boost of fiber from beans and veggies plus the fermentation from yogurt will do wonders for your microbiome. To save time, use the shredding attachment on your food processor to shred the vegetables.
See also 8 Steps to a Healthier Microbiome
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked in water overnight and drained
- 1 small shallot, quartered
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-lead parsley, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled, divided
- 3 tbsp whole spelt flour
- 2 tsp lemon zest + 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided
- 1 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
- 1 tsp sea salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled peeled and chopped
- 2.5 cups chopped cucumber
- 1 cup chopped radish
- 1/2 shredded or chopped carrot
- 1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
- Pinch smoked paprika, optional
- 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- Hot sauce, optional
Preparation
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. To a food processor, add chickpeas, shallot, ½ cup parsley, 3 cloves garlic, flour, 2 tbsp lemon juice, cumin, coriander, ¾ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper and cayenne (if using). Pulse, adding 2 to 3 tbsp water, or as needed, until mixture begins to form a paste but still has some crumb-like texture, 10 to 12 pulses. (NOTE:Don’t over-process or mixture will turn into hummus.) Carefully remove blade from processor.
3. Using wet hands, use a scant 2 tbsp falafel mixture to form a round, flattened patty about 1½ inches in diameter and place on a plate. Repeat to make 16 patties total. In a large skillet on medium-high, heat 1½ tbsp oil. Cook falafels in 2 batches, flipping once until just golden, about 1 minute per side. Add remaining 1½ tbsp oil between batches. Place browned falafel on prepared baking sheet; transfer to oven to cook through, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together eggs, 2 cups cucumber, radish, carrot and remaining ¼ cup parsley. In a blender, purée yogurt, vinegar, mustard, lemon zest, paprika (if using) and remaining ½ cup cucumber, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 clove garlic and ¼ tsp each salt and black pepper. Pour yogurt mixture over cucumber-radish mixture and toss.
5. Divide lettuce among plates; top with cucumber-radish mixture and falafels. Serve with hot sauce (if using).
Tip: To make this salad portable, pack ingredients into a large Mason jar. Place dressing at the bottom, followed by radish-cucumber mixture, eggs, lettuce and falafels. For extra heat, bring a container of hot sauce on the side (if using).
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1/4 of salad and 4 falafels
- Calories 403
- Carbohydrate Content 47 g
- Cholesterol Content 98 mg
- Fat Content 17 g
- Fiber Content 10 g
- Protein Content 19 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 3 g