Effortlessly Chuck

I picked up this recipe in Genevieve O’Gleman’s cookbook Les Lunchs and made a few twists to it to boost flavor. I was particularly impressed by how these came out of the oven crispy but not dry. Give it a try for your Meatless Mondays!

SERVING SIZE

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of whole wheat couscous

1/2 cup of boiling water

2 15oz cans of chickpeas

1 red onion

3/4 cup of fresh cilantro

3 garlic cloves

1 lemon

1 egg

1 tbsp of cumin

1 tbsp of za’atar

1 tsp of red chili flakes

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

1 tbsp of olive oil

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl combine the couscous and boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Chop the red onion in large pieces. Finely chop the cilantro.

Using a food processor, chop finely the onion and garlic. Press the juice of the lemon directly in the onion and garlic mixture. Add the chickpeas, the egg, cumin, za’atar and red pepper chili flakes. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Pulse in food processor until well combined.

Fluff the couscous with a fork and combine with the chickpea mixture in a large bowl. Mix in the cilantro and flour. Form 24 balls with your hands and place on the baking sheet. Brush each ball with olive oil.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes until the falafels are golden brown. Move up baking sheet under the broiler for a couple minutes towards the end to make sure the falafels are crispy.

These can be eaten hot or cold. In the picture above I had warmed them up in oven before placing them on salad.

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