If there is one thing (after pizza) that I could eat every single day and never get tired of, it would be falafel. Served with tons of Israeli salad! A little joint on my block has the best falafel pita sandwich my tastebuds have ever met, however after blowing my “eating out” budget last month there I thought I would start making my own (healthier) version. The falafel is baked instead of fried and the Israeli salad recipe is the “Israeli Salad For Dummies” version. Seriously. You could literally make it with your eyes closed!

It was all too good not to share, so here you go RADicals!

Baked Falafel

1/4 cup chopped onion (I like the sweet vidalia ones!)

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (don’t skip this, I did once and the balls ended up crumbling)

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (used almond flour once and it was amazeballs – pun intended lol)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.

2) Mash the garbanzo beans until they are the consistency of a chunky paste. Can use a food processor, but I like the fork method.

2) Add the remaining ingredients and mash it all together with your hands – fun!

3) Form little balls (or big ones) and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

4) Give them a little pat to make them into patties and bake until golden. 10 – 15 minutes per side.

5) Pour yourself a glass of wine and get on to that Israeli salad while you wait!

Israeli Salad

3 cucumbers, diced

2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/4 cup minced red onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, garlic, parsley, and mint together in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and pow – all done.

I layer some Tahini Sauce (store bought straight from Trader Joes) in between the falafel and Israeli salad, however if you want to whip some up homemade check out Sweet Potato Soul’s recipe here.

Can’t wait to hear what you think! Let me know below.