Vegan and Egg options

I’m always getting creative in the kitchen and enjoy experimenting with vegetables. I don’t eat legumes (chickpeas are traditionally used) so falafel was always off my list. Although I love the flavor, my belly would suffer. This low-carb keto version of this traditional Middle Eastern food is another great way to eat more veggies that are flavor packed! You won’t even believe they are made with cauliflower. You may enjoy them as a delicious appetizer, drizzled or dunked in a tangy coconut yogurt sumac sauce or on a salad.

Ingredients

Falafel:

  • 2 small or 1 medium head of cauliflower – made into rice (see instructions below)
  • 1 onion yellow or white – peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 medium to large organic egg (Vegan: add 3 Tablespoons ground chia seeds or flax. Or you can soak the same amount of chia or flax seeds and wait 15-30 minutes for them to become gelatinous. Add just enough water to barely submerge them.)
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • ½ cup fresh parsley – either curly or flat leaf work, but don’t use dried
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 3 cloves garlic- peeled and diced
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons cooking oil, I prefer avocado or refined coconut (no flavor), plus a drizzle of oil for the baking process.

Sumac Sauce:

  • 1 cup coconut yogurt – plain
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1-2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp sumac (I found it at Whole Foods or on line)
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Falafel:

  1. Add cauliflower florets to a food processor and pulse to make the consistency of “rice”.
  2. Heat ½ the oil in a frying pan and add the “rice”. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees.
  5. Heat the other half of the oil in the frying pan and add the chopped onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until soft and then add the garlic for 1 more minute until it’s fragrant.
  6. Place the cauliflower, sauteed onions and garlic, fresh coriander, cumin, ground coriander, egg, salt, pepper and almond flour in a food processor. Pulse for 15-20 seconds for the mixture to come together. If it is too sticky, add more almond flour.
  7. Shape the mixture into small patties and place on a parchment paper lined oven tray. Add a drizzle of oil over them, this helps them stay moist.
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning over half-way through until golden and firm.
  9. Serve with salad, coconut yogurt sumac sauce or traditional tahini sauce.

Pan-fry: Makes the falafel nice and brown all over, but they are a little more fragile than the ones made in the oven. Also, you’ll need a generous amount of oil for the pan. To make the batter sturdier for pan-frying, increase the amount of almond flour to 1 cup.

Air fryer: It’s a great way to get these falafel crispy! Cauliflower falafel would be perfect for air frying. Put them on parchment paper just like in the oven so they don’t stick. This will likely take a little less time than in the oven. I haven’t done this one yet, so let me hear how they turn out!

Sumac Sauce:

Make the Sumac sauce by placing all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and chill.

Buen Provecho!