Currently cooking from: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Serves: 2 (makes roughly 12 falafels/ or 4-6 patties)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 3-5 minutes
Total cost: $1.46/ person
Budget leftover for beer: $18.54
Ingredients
- 1 (8oz can) chickpeas-drained, rinsed & patted dry - $ 1.00
- 6-8 broccoli florets-chopped - $0.75
- 1/4 large carrot-chopped - $0.03
- 4 cloves garlic- minced - $0.10
- 1/2 small white onion- diced - $0.30
- 1/4 cup dry rolled oats - $0.25
- 1/4 cup (roughly) breadcrumbs- $0.50
*note: you can make this recipe gluten-free simply by making sure the breadcrumbs you buy are gluten free, also be sure to check if there are any eggs/ dairy products in the ingredients of the breadcrumbs if you are vegan. If you're unable to find any vegan breadcrumbs you can simply add more oats, or 3-4 tbsp all purpose flour.
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2-3 tsp black pepper
- optional: sprinkle of chili flakes if you like some heat.
- optional: 1/3 cup cilantro
note: There are a lot of spices in this recipe, I know. You can avoid using oregano & parsley if you are using a breadcrumb that is seasoned. We found the best/tastiest one here in Central America, and of course as I am writing this post I can't remember the brand. Typical.
Instructions
Before you begin, if you don’t have access to a blender finely chop all ingredients and steam until they become soft & mashable. Mash chickpeas & veggies together until you get a dough-like consistency. You may need to let the steamed veggies cool first and then use a cloth to squeeze out the excess water.
- Add all vegetables (chickpeas, garlic, broccoli, carrot, onion) into blender, mix/ pulse until combined scraping down edges as needed. Keep blending until you get a nice crumby dough.
- Stir in spices, taste and adjust accordingly. Slowly add in breadcrumbs & oats 1-2 tbsp at a time, making sure all ingredients are evenly combined and until the mixture is no longer wet.
- Form dough into similar sized falafel so they all take roughly the same amount of time to fry.
- Heat a frying pan over medium high heat with 1-2 tsp of olive oil or enough to cover pan, and add in as many falafel that will fit comfortably into pan.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes turning constantly so they cook evenly.
- Once they start to get a nice golden color they are ready! If you want them a little crispier you can leave them longer.
serving suggestions:
- add falafels to a wrap with some hummus or tzatziki, and fresh vegetables.
- toss in favorite hot sauce, add to a wrap with some fresh vegetables and some ranch for a Falafel Buffalo Ranch Wrap"
- add to some pasta or spiralized zucchini noodles for spaghetti & "meatballs"
- add falafels into curries as a meat substitute.