I made falafel for myself! I’m so excited about this because I became slightly addicted to the Cauldron brand of falafel whilst I was at home for the holidays, but they were always a little too expensive for me to buy for myself at university; they’re also on my ‘Recipe To-Do List’ so I was itching to give them a try. This recipe’s definitely one for when you have a little time on your hands because they took me a while to get right, but they’re so worth it in the end. I had mine in a massive pitta-bread stuffed with hummus, roasted peppers, tomatoes, spinach and aubergine for dinner – but you could also have them as a snack, lunch or even make them slightly bigger and have them as a sort of ‘falafel burger’ in a bun… With falafel, there are no boundaries.
They were also delicious, just letting you know. I bought a little jar of ground cumin especially for this recipe and it smelt so amazing. If anyone can tell me any good recipes that incorporate cumin I would be a very happy bunny – This is definitely a new spice I love; cinnamon was my favourite for so long, but I may have finally found its successor.
Hummus, falafel, spinach, aubergine and red pepper pitta bread :)
Ingredients
400g can of chickpeas
One garlic clove
One small onion
Handful of flat-leaf parsley
One teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander
Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons of plain flour
Oil to fry (I think it works better with olive oil, but I didn’t have any – oil spray worked for me though)
Method
- Shove everything in a blender and whizz until they form a sort of paste (if you don’t have a blender then mash the chickpeas with a potato masher and then mix with other ingredients) then form into little balls with your hands
- Fry for 3 minutes on each side until lightly golden
Eat one straight from the panServe in a pitta bread/with some grilled veggies and couscous/as a snack etc.
Makes 6 medium-sized falafel balls – they can be kept cooked in the fridge for a couple of days, just make sure they’re cold before you put them in.
Small health update:
Had my first official GP appointment yesterday to try to get a referral to a proper eating disorder specialist and I had my BMI noted and blood taken which were both a little terrifying – my flatmate went with me to my blood tests and cracked up because I was just chatting to the nurse and then she whipped out the needle with no warning, it was scary as hell and I’m sure my expression was hilariously shocked. Anyway, the doctor said there wasn’t a lot he could do because we only live in a little town, so I’m going to try to get a specialist when I go back to London for the summer holidays; basically all is going alright-ish, but I’m finding it a little hard to deal with on my own, so I hope things will get a little clearer when I have my appointment with him next Monday… Hopefully.
My crippled arm
On a more positive note, look at my awesome procrasti-nails :p
Awesome nails – I did the spots with a safety pin dipped in nail varnish :)
oh my goodness, so simple! Just had a thought – since I am no fan of chickpeas in their whole form in stews for e.g. (but maybe I like them mashed so I would need to give this an honest try), how about making these with peas instead of chickpeas!? Maybe it’ll work… :/ I guess thank for the inspiration is in order :D
I think you are already doing better since you are writing and talking about food and seeing it as healthy and good for you. Stay strong and inspired! :)
Hmmm…. I’m not sure about peas, but I’ve seen falafel done with broad beans before; I’m not sure how they would taste but it’s worth a try :)
Thanks so much, I wrote this a long time ago now, and I consider myself very nearly recovered now! I have no health issues at all and I’m feeling so positive about my body :)
Hope you like the broad bean falafel idea! Xx
worth a try! Thanks! :)
And I am very glad for you :D
Home made falafel are one of my favourite go-to meals! I still remember discovering how easy they were to make….and then I discovered you could actually bake them in the oven instead of a frying pan!!!! if you would like to try that method, I have a recipe on my blog http://afracooking.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/oven-baked-falafel/
Just checked it out and they look really good, will have to try this method next time I make a batch :) x
I am glad you liked the recipe! If you get around to trying them some time, let me know how it went (and what ideas you have on tweaking them!!!!)
Of course :) x
I love home-made foods like your tasty falafel! :)
Your nails rock!
Thanks :) x
Your falafel turned out great! I have tried a few times and failed, so I will have to give this recipe a try!
Thanks :)
I probably just got lucky, I bet it takes a few tries to get right! X
Can you make these for me when we get home? They look SO tasty!
Love you more than green and blacks cherry chocolate x
Georgie!!
Of course I will, we can have a dinner party/Disney channel catch up when we get back, I’m very excited :D
Love you more than the little bobble hats that you sometimes get on innocent smoothies xx
These falafel looks gorgeous :D
Just remind me to ATTEMPT to do my nails like yours after pigging out on a whole batch of them ;)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
They’re genuinely not that hard! Just get a safety pin dipped in nail varnish and then you just need to be patient and steady-handed :) x
Emily, these look lovely – I can almost taste the deliciousness just looking at them. I think you are incredibly brave to blog about food and your eating disorder all in the same place, may your road to recovery be smooth and blessed xx
Thank you very much, all this support really does mean a lot to me :)
And they were delicious, I’d recommend trying them at home x
I love felafel and hummus! Your recipe sounds good too, tasty and simple, the way I like it :-)
Thank you :) x
Oh Emily, This looks wonderful! I have never made falafel and only eaten it once. I’ve wanted to make them but was a little intimidated. I do believe I’m encouraged to try!
And thanks for the update on your health, I’ve been thinking of you! :)
hugs
That made me so happy, thank you so much for thinking about me – comments like that are ultra motivating :D
Yeah I was a falafel virgin as well but they’re actually really easy, and taste amazing, just be sure to put lots of cumin in x
This looks great! I’m glad I stumbled across your blog. :)
Yum!
These look great, I haven’t had falafel in a while, thanks for the reminder of how much I love them!
You’re welcome :) x