Healthy Baked Falafel - Vegan, GF & Oil-Free!

Scoop them, roll them, flatten them, bake them, dip them and eat them! Falafel. Place them next to a Greek Salad with some Hummus or pretty Beet Hummus, some homemade Tahini Dressing on the side and Olives. Stuff it in a pita, make it anyway you desire! The best part is, this recipe is complete whole-foods plant-based goodness, baked, with not one drop of oil so you can pop 3 or more on your plate and not feel bad. This recipe makes a LOT of falafel so you won't go hungry! I would approximate around 24-36 depending on their size and shape. 

See how to make them in the video or recipe below.

Falafel:
2 Cups Dried Chickpeas (Soaked overnight up to 24 hours and drained)
1 Small Onion
1/2 Cup Chopped Herbs (Mix of Coriander/Cilantro + Parsley)
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Jalapeno (Opt)
2 Tbsp Flour (I used Chickpea)
1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt (Or less)
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne (opt)
 
Directions:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Do not cook. 
2. The next day, preheat your oven to 400 °F (204 °C). Prep a pan by lining with parchment paper or lightly greasing. 
3. ​If you have a large food processor, combine all of the falafel ingredients and pulse until you have a fine mix that is grainy but not a hummus. Press down the sides occasionally to mix it evenly. If you have a small food processor, process in batches and hand mix in a large bowl.
4. For the baked falafel, I used an ice cream scoop to scoop out balls and firmly press into the scoop, then tap to release onto the pan, repeating until done. You can also roll them into balls, use a spoon or any desired scoop size. You can even flatten them slightly. Bake for 15 minutes, or until very golden on the bottom and easy to handle, if they aren't easy to handle, take them longer, perhaps 5 more minutes. Flip, and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve with Tahini Dressing or as desired.