This delish salad will be your new mid-week go to! Perfect for din, & even better as leftovers for lunch. Plus, you’re gonna want to drizzle that dressing on ERRRYTHING. PLUS we made a new VIDEO to show you how!
Falafels: Soak your chickpeas overnight in a big bowl of water, then drain and rinse before using. You can also do the two day soak and sprout method, by leaving them in your colander on day two covered with a tea towel - they'll sprout little tails by the next day.
Roughly chop your herbs, then blend all falafel ingredients in a food processor.
Heat a little coconut oil in a fry pan on medium high, then fry tablespoon sized balls on each side for around 3 minutes until golden.
Kale Salad: Pull the kale leaves off their stems by grabbing the stem with one hand and pushing your thumb and forefinger from the top of the stem down to the tip, removing the leaf. Wash and dry the leaves (put the stems in the compost), roughly chop, place in a bowl with the olive oil, apple cider vinegar/lemon juice, and sea salt, then massage with your hands for a minute until the leaves go bright green and soft.
Garlic Tahini Dressing: Blend all ingredients in a blender until super creamy and smooth. Make double if you dare - it's incredible on anything!
Plate up the kale salad on each plate, top with cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, falafels, drizzle with dressing, then top with extra herbs and sesame seeds if desired. Serve with freshly toasted wholemeal pita breads, or your favourite gluten free pita/wrap equivalent. Put the extra dressing on the table in case anyone wants a top up!
Video
Notes
Make it gluten free: Use your favourite gluten free pitas or wraps, or serve alongside 1/2 cup of brown rice per serve.
The smoother the paste, the softer, more delicious, and authentic tasting the falafels will. Too much texture will mean crunchy slightly uncooked falafels (when it's more blended, they cook quicker). So be sure to blend enough (not a complete puree, but not too far off).
If you still find your falafels are a little crumbly (or your food processor isn’t able to get a smooth enough mix), you can add 2 tbsp of chickpea flour to the mix to help the binding process.
Leftover dressing (if there is any!) will keep in the fridge in a sealed jar for 3-4 days - it will thicken overnight making it great for spreading on toast toppers and burgers. Otherwise simply add a bit more water to thin out the next day.
Leftover falafels will keep in the fridge for up to a week, and can freeze for up to a month. Simply take them out to defrost, and reheat in a pan on low to serve.
Don't like coriander/parsley? Feel free to use all of one or the other instead of the blend.
This falafel salad is also equally as delicious on a simple mesclun or cos salad, which I often use if kale isn't in season. Choose your favourite salad base!