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Easy Oven Baked Vegan Falafel Recipe

Talk about a crowd/family pleaser, comfort food classics are always the safest bets! These super aromatic, flavorful, fluffy, and crispy falafels would for sure please vegans or non-vegans alike. Plus I kept this recipe very low maintenance and no fuss, so it's summer and beginner-friendly.

Let me start by saying the claim that you cannot make falafels with canned chickpeas is completely a myth! You can totally do it and as a lazy chef myself I can promise you it works just as well. 

And to ensure your success with this recipe, I cannot stress this enough, my biggest and trialed tip for the most flavorful falafels - LOTS OF HERBS!! Seriously don’t be shy with them. It might seem a lot when you’re adding that aggressive amount of herbs in the blender but believe me they will pay off after baking as they’ll give you that lovely green color inside, nice fluffy and moist texture, and last but not least, that alluring aroma.


For serving, falafels are one of the most nutritious and versatile elements for any meal, you can make them into a wrap, with pita bread, quick pickled onions, silken tofu tzatziki sauce, and fresh veggies; or into a bowl with hummus and Quinoa Pilaf for a warmer, earthier palate.


INGREDIENTS:

1 can chickpea
1 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 big sweet onion
1 small jalapeño (trust me!)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoon chickpea flour
2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Salt and pepper to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon each
Olive Oil for cooking


TO MAKE:

- Preheat the oven to 405°F;
- Drain, rinse and dry a can of chickpea, add them to your food processor along with parsley, cilantro, onions, jalapenõ, garlic, cumin, cardamom, salt, and pepper;
- Pulse (do not blend) your food processor a couple of times till everything is combined and the texture should be like coarse sand, not too smooth;
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, add chickpea flour and baking soda, stir to mix well;
- When you're ready to start forming your falafels, have the olive oil bottle ready by your hands, drizzle a drop of olive oil into your hands, rub them together to spread evenly, this is to prevent sticking, then use your hands to form the falafel mixture into balls, repeat till all mixture are gone, make about 9 - 10 balls;
- Place the falafel balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake for 30-35 minutes, check and flip them halfway through. 

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