Easy Vegan Falafel

I don’t want to be just another blogger telling you how busy I am and that’s why I haven’t been posting frequently – but, well – I’m-a-gonna! Really, for the next few months things will get a bit crazy with exams and my dissertation, but I’m going to try to post something once a week, I mean, I am eating so I might as well try and document it as much as I can (if I did it too often, however, you’d be inundated with pictures of mung bean bowls and oat cakes 🙂 ) So on this not so crazy Sunday I decided to whip up something fast and easy. So here I present to you – my lovely, green, fragrant and delicious falafel!

Makes: About 15

• 2 cans chickpeas
• 2 small onions, peeled and chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 very large bunch fresh coriander
• 1 very large bunch fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more for cooking)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour

Method:

Throw into a food processor the chickpeas, onion, garlic, cumin, fresh herbs and oil. Process until you have a thick but smooth texture. Add a little oil or water if it’s not coming together easily. (I have a small processor so I did this in two batches. Now add this to a large bowl and add the salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. The mixture should stick together nicely when you roll it between your hands.

Now, lifting heaped teaspoon amounts into your hands, roll into small rounds and then flatten slightly with your fingers. They should look something like this:

Heat a very shallow amount of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the falafel until brown on both sides. This should take around 5 minutes on each side. Now place in a pre-heated oven at 400F/200C/gas mark 6 for another 20 minutes.

I also baked a few instead of frying and they turned out great. Simply place on a baking sheet, brush with some oil and bake for about 30-35 minutes, turning once. Do this is a hotter oven at 425F/220C/gas 7.

Serve with pita bread or wraps, lettuce, tomato, avocado, radishes and of course…hummus! I have a simple recipe here for one or just use a store-bought one for added ease! Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper and maybe some smoked paprika. Enjoy!

 

Thai-Style Spring Rolls with Coriander Peanut Pesto – Vegan MoFo

When I was a young girl, growing up on a large farm in rural Australia, my Mum would make the majority of our dinners – and from what I can remember – they were delicious! She would bake amazing cakes and bread and often come up with new and interesting meals for me and my siblings to enjoy at dinner time and in our lunch-boxes the next day. (Of course there were on occasion, those odd looks we would get from other students when we pulled out a multi-grain bread sandwich smeared with liverwurst, which we loved – but this lovely, fatty pate which was a favourite amongst my German family, was understandably quite foreign to the other Aussie kids!)

My Dad, on the other hand was one of those cooks who just made stuff up as he went along. One night, though, he made a recipe for Thai spring rolls out of a cookbook we had lying around and they become such an instant hit with everyone that they even now take a very special place on our Christmas table every year. The recipe that follows is inspired by these spring rolls, yet not deep-fried and of course, veganised.

For the rolls:

• 1 packet rice paper wraps
• 1 block firm tofu, drained, pressed and chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 3 large carrots, grated
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 bunch of coriander
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 packet of rice vermicelli noodles

For the pesto:

• 1 really large bunch of fresh coriander
• 1/2 cup of raw peanuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or more if needed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

To make the pesto, combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth, lovely paste. It will smell amazing!

In a large wok or pan, heat the peanut oil on high heat. Add in the tofu and cook until it starts to turn golden – about 5 minutes or so. Now add in the ginger, garlic, carrots, onions, chilli and coriander and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring everything together.

Now, in a large bowl filled with hot water, soak the noodles for a few minutes until they are soft. Chop them roughly on a board and then add them to the pan. At this point you’ll want to drizzle over the sesame oil as well.

Once the mixture has cooked for a further few minutes, turn the heat off and allow it to cool a little. To assemble the spring rolls – take a rice paper wrap and dip it entirely into a large bowl of warm water until it has become floppy, only about 30 seconds.

Now lay flat on the counter or chopping board and place about 2 tablespoons of mixture in the centre. Follow with a spoonful of the pesto and roll up! I go once over the mixture, bring in the sides and then roll to the end.

Unfortunately the light was going down as I made these, so I don’t have many nice photos, but trust me – these were DELICIOUS 🙂 Try the for yourself!

 

Vegan Burger Series: Episode One – Falafel with Avocado Cream & Tahini Mayo

Welcome to episode one! I’m very happy to start this burger exploration with you, my hungry readers! Upon becoming a vegan, many of us presume we must forego our once cherished greasy bundles of goodness such as the blessed burger and remain content with the pathetic, flimsy veggie versions usually on offer at the local pub, (which, by the way, will contain egg as a binding ingredient). But with a little know-how and some help from our friend, the trusty bean, anyone can throw together a burger that is delicious, sumptuous, healthy and as greasy as you want baby!

For the first burger, I have taken inspiration from a great vegan chef called Chloe Coscarelli, who made some cute little falafel sliders with a tahini dressing. You can make these as big or small as you like and include different toppings, but the avocado and tahini go particularly well here.

Makes: Four large or about six smaller patties.

• 1 can chickpeas, reserving a small handful for the avocado cream (you can cook dried ones as well)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• A BIG bunch of both fresh parsley and coriander
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour (sometimes called gram flour)
• Burger buns and fresh tomato for serving

For the avocado cream and tahini mayo:

• 1 avocado
• A small handful chickpeas left from can
• A bunch of fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• The juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons water

By the way, I forgot to include the flour and tahini in this shot 🙂

Method:

Throw your chickpeas, peeled garlic, onion, cumin and salt and pepper into a food processor and pulse until roughly blended. You’ll need to scrape down the sides. Now add in the fresh herbs, oil and flour and blend until you have a nice thick texture, but it will still be fairly moist. Place into a bowl and if you need, add a little more flour to help the mixture bind as you form them into the patties. Make them small or big as you prefer. In a flat frying pan, heat about half an inch of oil over medium to high and add in your burgers. Cook for about 4 -5 minutes on both sides and once they are on their second turn, press them gently to make them flatter if you need. They should turn a nice dark, golden brown and smell divine!

For the avocado cream, simply add to your processor the avocado (without skin of course!), the remaining chickpeas, parsley and 1 garlic clove and blend until smooth. For the tahini mayo, drop the two tablespoons of tahini into a small bowl with the lemon juice and water and whisk with folk until you have a creamy consistency.

Now the fun part! Follow the photos for assembly: Toast the bun, add the burger, then the avocado, then a slice of tomato and finish with the oozy, lovely tahini mayo!

Final step = Devour

Beetroot and Walnut Paté with Baked Pita Crisps (and Homemade Hummus)

OK, OK, it’s not really paté…it’s a dip, but the word ‘dip’ is really too mundane for such a wonderful dish. I made this over Christmas for my family when I was back home in Australia and they all loved it. The beetroot and the fresh herbs go so well together and the pita crisps are a perfect accompaniment, although you can use anything else you fancy :). I usually roast my own beets for this recipe but today I didn’t have the time, so I just used a pack of organic, cooked beetroot from the produce section and it was still awesome!

I’ve also included a quick rundown of my hummus recipe because I made this also. One dip just ain’t enough. On a side note, my sexy beast of a camera has been sent away for repairs 😦 so the photos today are taken with an older (not so sexy) camera. So I apologise for any blurriness!

Makes: Almost 2 cups

• 4 medium cooked beets (around 250 gram)
• 2-3 cloves garlic (I used 3)
• A big handful of parsley and one of coriander
• 50g walnuts (I actually used a bit more, but just see how you go)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pack of whole wheat pita bread
• Extra olive oil

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/gas mark 6. Chop the beetroot and herbs and throw into a food processor with the walnuts and garlic. Process until you have a thick paste. Now add in the oil and vinegar and the salt and pepper. Pulse a few times and then taste for seasoning. Here you may want to add more oil or vinegar depending on how you sourced your beets. Place in a bowl and garnish with extra herbs. Set aside whilst you make crisps, because the longer you let the flavours meet each other and get acquainted, the better!

To make pita crisps, cut each into triangles and gently separate each in half. Lay flat and even onto a baking sheet/tray and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Watch them, I burnt my first batch!

For my hummus I basically go by a method of blend, taste, blend, taste. Throw into a processor a can of chickpeas (if you have time use dried and cooked), 2 cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of tahini, a great big squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil. Like I said just blend and taste until you have the perfect mixture. I add in water as well to get a smoother consistency. Serve up both dips with the crisps and dig in! The crisps stay fresh for a few days in an airtight container, but the dips won’t last because you’ll devour them 🙂