Guest Post - Laura at The Smile Is Fake

Todays guest post was written by Laura from The Smile Is Fake

Vegetarian Falafels
Serves 4

Shopping List:
400g can of chickpeas
A handful of curly parsley
Half an onion
1 small garlic clove
1/2 tsp curry powder
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander leaves
2tbsp plain flour



To keep a flowing routine in the kitchen, I find it super handy to have everything laid out in correct measurements before starting and then it's way easier to prep.

1. Firstly drain the chickpeas from the can, rinse with water and pat dry using kitchen paper to remove excess water. Place the chickpeas into your food processor.

2. Roughly chop the garlic clove and onion and add to the chickpeas, throw in your handful of curly parsley (roughly chop first and remove any unwanted stalks), curry powder, cumin, ground coriander and flour.

3. Now for the fun - depending on what food processor you use mix away as much as required until the ingredients become a thick paste. Note that if there are any lumps or bumps remaining this is fine it simply adds texture



4. Place enough mixture in your hand to create a small round ball (roughly the size of a small satsuma) pat the ball into a flat round 'pattie' style thick pancake repeat until you have 12.  If you are wanting to serve the Falafels straight away simply add 2tsp of olive oil to a frying pan and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, over a medium heat until each pattie is golden brown.  Failing that place them in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and pop in the fridge until ready to cook but don't leave in the fridge uncooked for more than 24hrs

5. Serve with toasted pitta bread, salad and dips of your choice (salsa and low-fat soured cream are always a hit). If this is a weekend treat why not add a bowl of chunky homemade wedges.

So that's my super healthy recipe shared. I know it's a veggie option, but you'll be amazed at how many 'meat lovers' are left wanting more!!!  For those (like myself) concerned about calorie content, each serving averages at 280kcal (that's including pitta bread, salad and dips) just remember if you do sneak a few wedges onto your plate be sure to take their nutritional value into account!

ENJOY!!