Baked Spring Pea Falafel with Lemon Feta Yogurt

Falafel is one of my favorite things, especially on a salad. There’s something about the flavor and the texture of a falafel that takes any old salad to the next level. For me, a salad has to be loaded with all the things to make it satisfying and I consider falafel part of all the things.

I’ve included spring peas in this falafel recipe for a twist and it’s a good one! The peas give it an extra bit of sweetness that makes these that much better. Bonus, these falafels are baked so it takes all the guilt out of these amazing bites. Combine them with my Feta Lemon Yogurt for a bright tang that compliments the falafel perfectly! I like to make a big batch of these and top my salad with them all week.

Enjoy!

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Falafel:

1 cup dried chick peas

1 cup sweet peas (frozen and defrosted or canned and drained work)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp corriander

1/4 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 Jalapeno

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

For the Yogurt:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

To Make the falafel:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Soak dried chick peas in a bowl of water for 20-24 hours. *Do not use canned chick peas, the texture if difficult to get right with canned chick peas

In a food processor, add pre-soaked and drained chickpeas, sweet peas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander, onion, and jalapeño. Pulse until combined and then turn on high until mixture is mostly smooth.

Remove mixture from food processor and put into a large bowl.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper to mixture, stir to combine.

Place mixture in fridge to set for 30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Once the mixture has set remove from the fridge and scoop into golf ball size balls. Place a little oil in your hands to roll the mixture into balls and coat with oil.

Place on baking sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.