Homemade Falafel with Summer Quinoa and Tahini Yoghurt

Homemade Falafel with Summer Quinoa and Tahini Yoghurt

Ready in 40 minutes • Serves 2-3
This dish most recently appeared in My Veggie (4 Nights For 2) on Sunday, December 31, 2017.
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When cooking falafel, wipe pan out between batches and add a little oil, if needed. If you have any excess liquid in quinoa, drain before adding to the salad. Alternatively, use BBQ hot plate to cook falafel as per step 4.

Ingredients

Summer Quinoa

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup quinoa
  • 2 tomatoes
  • ½ telegraph cucumber
  • ½ red onion
  • 2-3 tablespoons mint leaves
  • 3 tablespoons parsley leaves and stalks
  • 100g baby spinach
  • 100g feta cheese

Homemade Falafel

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ red onion, very finely diced
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon falafel spice mix
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

Tahini Yoghurt

  • ½ cup yoghurt
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons tahini paste

Salad Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar (e.g. red wine, white wine)
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Steps

  1. Prepare your falafel ingredients. Bring measure of water to the boil in a small pot on high heat. As soon as it boils, add quinoa and a pinch of salt. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce to low heat to cook for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and leave to steam, still covered, for a further 8 minutes. Do not lift lid during cooking.
  2. Dice tomatoes and cucumber 1cm; finely dice first measure of red onion; finely chop mint and parsley; roughly chop baby spinach. Add all to a large bowl, toss to combine and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mash chickpeas with a potato masher until thick and pasty. Add all remaining homemade falafel ingredients and mix well to combine.
  4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large fry-pan on medium heat. Scoop out falafel mix using a heaped tablespoon measure, roll into balls then flatten into 1cm-thick patties. Cook falafel, in batches, for 2-3 minutes each side, until golden and cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.
  5. While falafel are cooking, mix together yoghurt, honey and tahini in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl whisk oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Crumble feta into bowl with quinoa vegetables and add cooked quinoa and salad dressing. Season and gently toss to combine.
  6. To serve, divide summer quinoa between bowls or plates. Place 2-3 falafel on top and dollop with tahini yoghurt.

Nutritional Information

Energy 2440 kj
583 kcal
Protein 25.1g
Carbohydrate 43.5g
Fat 30.3g