Beet Falafel

If I could eat one thing on repeat for the next few months it would be these little beet falafel patties. They are SO good! Not only that, but they pack a ton of nutrition in each little bite (we even utilized those amazing beet greens!)and they are baby and toddler approved! My little girl came out to help me harvest beets the other morning and she was more than excited to help me make these little patties. Another thing that’s fun to do with your little helper is let them press the button on your food processor as you mix all the ingredients! Pepper even goes so far as to put on earmuffs because she thinks it’s funny with the loud noise of the food processor. I just go with it! Making these falafels is honestly a really fun activity with a young kid. Let them get messy and even let some of the falafel patties be a total mess. They don’t need to be uniform. Pepper’s falafel patties fell apart a bit but as I put them in the frying pan I just re-smashed them a bit. It’s no biggie!

This recipe is actually really easy. Everything gets tossed into a food processor and then you form your patties. I have an option to bake or fry these. We have done both. The fried one’s definitely have a nicer texture and the extra fat from the ghee (you could also use duck fat or another nourishing cooking fat) adds some good nutrition. However, baking these is easy and a little less messy! There’s one extra step in the directions and that is to roast the chickpeas for 10 minutes to dry them out a bit. This is really helpful in keeping the patties together when cooking. Other than that, this comes together in a flash!

I hope you and your family love this recipe as much as we do. Happy cooking and eating everyone!

Beet Falafel

PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES    COOK TIME: 15 MINUTES    SERVES: 12

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (if from the can rinsed and drained)

• 1 1/2 cups chopped beets

• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed chopped beet greens

• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 3/4 teaspoon unrefined salt

• 1 tablespoon tahini

• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

• 3-4 Tablespoons garbanzo bean flour (see note)

• Ghee for frying

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and set a baking sheet to the side

2. Pat the chickpeas dry with a towel and then place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes to dry the beans out a bit.

3. While the chickpeas are in the oven add the beets to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the beet greens, garlic, spices, and salt. Once the chickpeas are out of the oven add them to the processor along with the tahini, lemon zest and flour. Pulse a few times until well combined but there is still plenty of texture (you don’t want a puree). Taste test the batter and adjust flavors if needed (more salt, lemon zest or cumin).

4. Shape the batter into small discs and lightly flatten them with the palm of your hand or the back of a wooden spoon. Place uncooked falafel on the same baking sheet you used for the chickpeas. If baking in the oven place in the oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.

5. If frying, heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat with a healthy dollop of ghee. Fry a few patties at a time, for about 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown and lightly crisp.

6. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!

Notes

You can substitute garbanzo bean flour with all purpose if needed. If you don’t want to cook all of these at once the batter freezes really well!