These Sundried Tomato Chickpea Falafel are big on flavour.
I prefer really flavourful foods. In my pre-culinary school days I would always double the spice portion of a recipe because I generally wanted more flavour! I’m not sure if I’ve desensitized my tastebuds, but I still opt for big, strong flavours in my every-day cooking.
Now, out of respect for a recipe, I follow the ingredients and directions as they are and make any changes or adjustments on my second attempt.
To accommodate this big flavour preference we have (Bernard’s taste buds are even more flavour-obsessed than mine), I like to use a lot of quality spices and herbs but I also lean towards really flavourful ingredients!
Sundried tomatoes being one of my favourites!
Sundried tomatoes add a huge punch to pastas, sauces, salads and these chickpea falafel! They’re like a culinary secret weapon that can instantly change a meal. I always buy dried sundried tomatoes, not the kind packed in oil. I get mine from Upaya Naturals. You can easily rehydrate the dried variety by soaking them in water (as I do in this recipe).
I made a ginormous mezze platter for a dinner party a few weeks ago and these Sundried Tomato Chickpea Falafel were a big hit!
These vegan and gluten free falafel also make use of zucchini, and we’re all (or is this just me?) always looking for new ways to use the zucchini!
Recipe Hack – You don’t NEED a food processor for this recipe but it does make it easier. You can grate the carrot and zucchini using a box grater and then mash the rest of the ingredients with a good potato masher.
Recipe Recycle – I like to double this recipe and make enough falafel to have on hand in the freezer for last minute meals. I take 3-4 out of the freezer the morning of or night before and add them to a big green salad. I also like to make them the protein portion of my Buddha bowls. All plant foods do have some protein (I know many of you have tuned into the protein myth after watching What The Health so I don’t want to confuse anyone) but beans offer more protein than most other components of my Buddha bowl. I also like to pair these with Tahini Dill Sauce from The Plant-Based Cookbook!
Speaking of What The Health, I can’t believe it took my so long to watch but this documentary is big. It presents some powerful ideas and some harsh realities that a lot of people aren’t comfortable with. The makers of the documentary expose some behind-the-scenes politics that govern many healthcare laws and policies. Saying that it’s stirring up a lot of discourse would be an understatement.
The documentary features some of my favourite plant based experts like Dr. Michael Greger and Dr.Neal Barnard. Not surprisingly, there has been major backlash to What The Health and all kinds of accusations, insults and falsehoods are being thrown around. I like this response by Dr.Garth Davis on Forks Over Knives.
If you haven’t watched it, I would consider doing so. If nothing else, it has started a conversation that is long overdue.
Sundried Tomato Chickpea Falafel
Cook Time: 50 mins
Servings: 20 Falafel
These Sundried Tomato Chickpea Falafel are big on flavour.
Ingredients
- ½ cup packed sundried tomatoes soaked in water for 20 minutes
- 2 cups chickpeas cooked or canned
- ¼ cup chopped carrot ~1 small carrot
- 1 cup chopped zucchini ~1 zucchini
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon sea or Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drain and roughly chop the sundried tomatoes.
- Add the sundried tomatoes, chickpeas, carrot and zucchini to a food processor and process 5-7 times.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process on low for 20-40 seconds until combined. Scrape down the sides of the processor and pulse again.
- Transfer the mix to a bowl. Remove 1 heaping tablespoon of the falafel mix and roll into a ball and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining falafel mix. The mix will be soft but will firm up once baked.
- Bake for 40 minutes then remove from the oven and gently flip (to prevent the falafel from falling apart) using a silicon spatula and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Notes
Serve with tahini sauce, on top of a salad or in a pita!
I like to freeze these falafel once cooled and take them out as needed to thaw.
I like to freeze these falafel once cooled and take them out as needed to thaw.
Did you make this recipe?
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Jaime
So flavorful! Made to recipe and turned out great. Served with salad, pita chip, and beetroot hummus. So good! Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow
Ashley Madden
Thank Jaime!!! Beetroot hummus is a wonderful pairing! Sorry for the delay in response, this and a few other comments were in my spam folder! I hope that doesn’t happen again!
Take care,
Ashley
Anita
Instead of the cooked or canned chickpeas, can you use raw dried chickpeas that have been soaked and then ground (food processor or meat grinder), as is normally done for falafel? So the texture will be less soft? The only cooking of the chickpeas would be as falafel balls in the oven or air fryer.
Ashley Madden
Hi Anita! I’ve never done it with this recipe, but I think it could work. Sorry I can’t give you more direction! If you do it, let me know how it works out!
Susan
I made this recipe yesterday and ate it for dinner last night along with the tahini sauce from your spring roll recipe. So delicious. Today I added some of the leftover falafel to a salad including spring greens, various vegetables and fruits, some cooked beans (which taste like baked beans), raisins, and the tahini sauce. Absolutely amazing. Possibly better than my dinner last night but both meals were excellent. I still have some falafel and sauce left which I’m quite happy about. I do plan to make a double batch of both the falafel and tahini sauce to freeze to have them easily available. So good.
Thanks Ashley for these amazing recipes. I will try the vegan spring roll recipe too, hopefully soon.
Ashley Madden
Wow, Susan that sounds delicious! Sounds like my kind of salad 🙂 Thanks for sharing!