Baked Gluten-Free Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Serves 4-6

This gluten-free falafel recipe delivers fresh Mediterranean flavor, and the accompanying tahini sauce serves as the perfect finishing touch.

Ingredients

  • FALAFEL
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped white onion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 3 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Cayenne pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Olive oil
  • Additional ingredients for serving, if desired: gluten-free pita bread, lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber
  • TAHINI SAUCE
  • ½ cup tahini
  • Juice of ½ large lemon
  • 5-7 tablespoons water, depending on how thick you want sauce
  • Salt, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Place all the ingredients, except for flour, baking powder and olive oil, into a food processor and blend until everything is broken down but not pureed. Next, sprinkle in the flour and baking powder and blend again until mixture forms a ball. You may have to stop and scrape the sides down a few times.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Use your hands to form the mixture into balls. You can make them as big or as small as you would like. I used about 2 tablespoons of mixture for each one. Place falafels on baking sheet and brush the top of each with olive oil. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes, flipping once.

Make the sauce while the falafel is baking. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until combined and a creamy sauce is formed.

If desired, serve falafels in a pita with vegetables and tahini sauce.

Nutrition Analysis: 260 cal, 14 g fat, 0 mg chol, 790 mg sodium, 27 g carbs, 8 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 11 g protein.

Isadora Lassance lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband and their orange cat, Cheeto. A regular contributor to Gluten-Free Living, she also blogs about whole food and seasonal ingredients at shelikesfood.com.

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