Falafel Salad

This falafel with tabbouleh salad bowl is a game changer! 

What do you guys eat for lunch? I try to eat salads every day but I am only a human, and I occasionally stumble and fall. Mostly because I am a flavour junkie and if something doesn’t live up to my standards, I find it difficult to keep going.

In my teaching days…goodness me…it’s only been 6 weeks since I quit my job and it already feels like ancient history…

Anyway, when I worked in central London I would go to nearby cafes to get lunch because they had amazing salads. But then I would feel guilty about spending money and start bringing my own lunches.

They were boring and I would feel sorry for myself as I saw my colleagues eating burgers and sandwiches and back to cafes I went.

What I clearly craved was FLAVOUR, which those salads delivered and what I failed to reproduce at home. Why couldn’t I do the same at home? I didn’t want to invest time into making multiple “flavour makers”!!

Let’s take this Falafel with Tabouleh, Hummus and Baba Ganoush. All those individual items have got flavour for days and if you put them together, my oh my!

Without a doubt one of the best thing you could eat for lunch! No joke. It’s not surprise a similar salad was my staple in those days.

I adore bold and vibrant Middle Eastern cuisine, with its liberal use of fresh herbs and vegetables. I shared a similar salad bowl but made with grilled chicken about a year ago, which Brad and I eat on a regular basis.

How to meal prep for a week without stress

I guess what makes it difficult is that we realise many components are needed to make such a salad but it’s actually easier than we think. The answer is BATCH COOKING.

What I usually do now is cook several servings of a grain of choice (grains makes salads more filling and are so good for us) like quinoa, bulgur or buckwheat.

Legumes like lentils or beans (canned variety is also acceptable) and make or buy what I call “flavour makers” like hummus, feta, delicious salad dressings, and a side of protein like chicken, ham, tuna etc.

Then I just mix and match throughout the week and add various vegetables depending on what I like. This way my salads are way more interesting and are easily prepared the night before!!

Can I bake falafel?

Alright, let’s talk about this falafel though. Isn’t it the reason why we are here?

I am a big fan of falafel in general but I am even a bigger fan of this falafel in combination with this tabouleh and all the other delicious things.

Hummus, baba ganoush and the tahini dressing all add incredible complexity to this falafel bowl. I’ve been hesitant to make my own falafel because I don’t like to deep fry food.

I have never deep fried anything in my life, so I decided to bake my falafel. I have done so in the past and liked it.

Baking falafel was okay but I found that through baking you either sacrifice the crispy exterior or moist interior. So on my second try I pan fried it. 2-3 tablespoons of oil is all you need!!

If you choose to bake it, do it on an oiled pan at 375F for 10 minutes on each side.

I know it looks like a LOOOONG ingredients list but the actual cooking is minimal. Most of the things only require to be blitzed in a food processor.

Hummus and baba ganoush could be prepared a few days ahead of time or purchased in a store.

Falafel with Tabouleh, Hummus and Baba Ganoush

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Course: Main

Servings: 4 -6

Author: Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Ingredients

For the falafel

• 1.5 cups/250g dried chickpeas soaked in water
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp baharat spice optional
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 spring onions chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 oz/50g cilantro
• 1 oz/ 25g parsley
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the tabouleh

• 2 cups bulgur cooked
• 3 to matoes medium, diced
• 2 cucumber medium, diced
• 1 red onion diced
• 4 green onions sliced
• 2 tsp dried mint
• 1 cup/50g parsley chopped
• salt
• 2 lemons juice of
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil

For the baba ganoush

• 2 eggplants/aubergines medium
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 lemon juice of
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

For the hummus

• 2 cups chick peas cans
• 3 tsp cumin
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 lemon juice of
• ¼ cup- tahini
• ¼ cup-extra virgin olive oil

For the tahini dressing

• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 lemon juice of
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp cold water
• salt to taste
• 1 blood orange optional
• micro herbs like salad cress optional

Instructions

For the falafel

• Soak dried chickpeas overnight, they should swell and look the same as canned ones but still quite hard.
• In a food processor combine all falafel ingredients and process until you have a paste. Roll falafel into small balls, approximately 2 inches in diameter, then flatten them slightly with your hand.
• Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and fry falafel until crispy all around for approximately 3 minutes on each side. Set aside.

For the tabouleh

• Cook bulgur according to package instructions and set aside to cool.
• Once bulgur is cooled combine with all vegetables, herbs and dress with lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste.

For the baba ganoush

• Set your oven to a broil/grill mode on a highest temperature and set an oven rack approximately 6" away from the top element. Place two eggplants on an aluminium lined shallow baking tray and cook for 15 minutes until the outside is charred and smoky and the inside collapses and turns into a mush.
• Cool until safe to handle and remove the burned skin.
• In a food processor or a blender combine eggplant flesh, sliced garlic, tahini, lemon juice, smoked paprika and run until smooth and creamy, then open the shoot and add olive oil with the motor still running until baba ganoush is desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

For the hummus

• Add all ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth

For the tahini dressing

• In a jam jar combine all ingredients except for water, put a lid on and shake very hard until you have a homogenised dressing, add water 1 tbsp at a time until you have a desired consistency.

Tried this recipe?Mention @vikalinka or tag #vikalinka!