Kale Falafel
Making falafel is not that challenging. I find the biggest hurdle is remembering to soak the garbanzos overnight.
2 cups dry garbanzo beans (canned ones don’t work to make homemade falafel)
about 3/4 bag of green curly kale
1-2 small to medium onions
2-4 garlic cloves
5 TBSP flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp coriander
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP olive oil
1 egg (optional*)
*This is an unconventional addition to a falafel recipe, but I find it helps hold them together when you add kale. You can leave out the egg, but they will likely be more crumbly, which is still delicious in a sandwich.
Start by soaking the dry garbanzos in about 4-5 times as much water as beans. I do this the night before, but it can be done as little as 8 hours before you make the falafel. Rinse the garbanzos when they are done soaking, and let them drop dry while you assemble the other ingredients. Lightly spread olive oil on a baking sheet. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, puree the kale with olive oil. Put aside in a large bowl. Then pulse the onion and garlic in the food processor until they are very finely chopped, but still coarse, not pureed. Add that to the kale bowl. Now process the garbanzos in the food processor, also until they are coarse, not fully pureed. Add that to the big bowl. Add the flour, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and optional egg to the bowl with the kale, onion, garlic, and garbanzos. Mix thoroughly. Once the mixture is well mixed, start forming them into balls about 1-inch or so big. Put each ball on the oiled baking sheet. (At this step we lightly squash them so they are more like a patty shape than a ball, but that’s just a shape preference. They are commonly made in the ball shape.) Use all the mixture making balls, and then bake at 350 until they are golden and crispy. Serve in pita with a simple dill-lemon-yogurt dressing, finely chopped parsley, salad greens, and some hummus. (In fact, try this favorite hummus recipe, but substitute carrots, red beets, or sweet potatoes for the yellow beets.) Leftover falafel make fun grab and go snacks.