I LOVE Falafel but not the fat that comes along with it so I created a healthier version.. Traditional Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans. Think of it as Middle Eastern Fast Food. I wanted to bump up the flavors and keep it raw (and bean less) yet full of protein from seeds.
Even though these have no chickpeas like traditional falafel does, It really does taste like falafel. Just for the record, I have made raw falafel with sprouted chickpeas – it’s just not for me.
You will need a food processor & a dehydrator for this recipe.
You can eat these falafel’s in a sandwich, on a pita, salad or by themselves. I really love to eat them with hummus or a lemon tahini dressing. By dehydrating them at such a slow low temp, these retain all the vitamins since you are not “cooking” them while giving them a crispier outside cooked texture.
The pumpkin seed along with the kalamata olives & sundried tomato really give it a Mediterranean Flair.
Im talking about the green pumpkin seed.. NOT the white ones which contain the outer shell…
In the photo, I made a RAW vegetable flat bread out of ground flax seed, zucchini sundried tomato & herbs and then dehydrated. It is soooo good. Just about zero carbs and satisfies any “bread” craving.
I also grew the sprouts and added them for texture. Growing sprouts is super easy, your kids can do it..I have written a post on it HERE:
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds, raw & unsalted
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, raw & unsalted
- 1/4 c sundried tomatoes in oil
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives
- 3 tsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp fresh basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- With the food processor running, drop in garlic clove and let mince. Add seeds and pulse until ground, add all other ingredients and continue pulsing until combined. Form into balls ( I like to use a mini cookie scoop) and place on dehydrator tray.
- Dehydrate @ 105 degrees F for 6 – 8 hours.