Our daughter’s 11th birthday dinner was White Bean Falafel With Rainbow Unicorn Noodles. The rainbow unicorn noodles were a lot of fun and became a home economics session, so you can find out all about them here. The white bean falafel came about because when I went to make the falafel’s, I discovered I had no chickpeas, so I decided to try my luck with white beans instead. The verdict was a big two thumbs up by everyone, and we had the leftovers for lunch the next day. Double winning! In all the excitement of the rainbow unicorn noodles, I forgot to get a proper photo of the falafel on their own, but this is what they looked like on our dinner plate!
Ingredients
This made 16 good sized falafels.
- 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tspns cumin
- 2 tpsns coriander
- 1/2 small lemon squeezed
- 3 tblspns plain flour (I used orgran gluten free)
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- sesame seeds to coat (sorry didn’t measure)
- Coconut oil for frying
- Tzatziki for dipping the falafel
Method
- Roughly mash the beans with a fork. You can leave some lumpy bits
- Add your crushed garlic, cumin and coriander, lemon juice and mix well
- Add in the plain flour and salt & pepper, mix again
- Put your lightly beaten egg in a bowl, and place your sesame seeds on a plate
- With 2 soups spoons, form your falafel balls. Use one spoon to scoop out some of the falafel mix, then use the other spoon over the top of the mix to form a ball. Or if you prefer, just use your hands but make sure they are moist first
- Gently place your falafel balls one by one into the egg, then roll in the sesame seeds
- When all falafel are made, place in the fridge for 15 minutes
- Heat coconut oil over medium heat, sprinkle in a couple of sesame seeds, when they sizzle, the oil is hot enough. You need enough oil to come up halfway of the falafel balls
- Cook falafel each side for about 3 – 4 minutes. If the seeds seem to be cooking too fast (i.e. turning brown in about 2 minutes), turn down the heat because you want to cook the mixture on the inside too).
- Drain on paper towel, serve with fresh salad or steamed vegetables, and a serving of tzatziki for dipping the falafel.
2 Other Ways
- Serve in lettuce cups, wraps or pita bread and salad
- Serve along side steamed vegetables
Just a reminder, you don’t need to be a master chef, or have a big spotless kitchen to make awesome nutritious meals or snacks for your family.
