This is essentially a recipe for baked falafel. But to me, if the batter isn’t crisped up in the deep-fryer, it’s not falafel.
So I present you instead with “baked herbed chickpea bites”. The name, I know, could use a little work. But they’re delicious, I promise.
These are best served aside a creamy dip. Pick the tahini-based sauce of your choice. Hummus, baba ganoush, or even just a simple sesame-garlic-lemon sauce will all serve you well.
To make the latter, finely mince a small clove of garlic and whisk it into several large spoonfuls of tahini. Add a pinch of salt. Squeeze in a wedge or two of lemon. Then add warm water, as needed, to thin it out.
Baked Herbed Chickpea Bites
- December 10, 2018
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup oats
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 sm. onion, diced
- 1 chili pepper, minced (can sub pinch of cayenne)
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1 cup cilantro
- 2 (15 oz.) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbsp. cumin
- 1 slightly heaping tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 2 Tbsp. flax, optional
- Olive oil
Directions
- Step 1
- In a food processor, grind oats until fine. Place into a bowl and set aside.
- Step 2
- Add garlic, chili pepper, and onion to food processor. Chop until finely diced. Add parsley and cilantro, and process until finely diced. Add chickpeas, cumin, salt, baking soda, flax, if using, and the oat flour you created earlier. Process until mixture is well combined.
- Step 3
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover parchment paper with a thin layer of olive oil. Use your hands to scoop the mixture into 2-inch disks. (The exact size doesn’t matter, but try to keep the balls uniform in thickness).
- Step 4
- Brush or lightly drizzle the tops with olive oil. Place in oven for 30-35 minutes, flipping about 18 minutes into the baking, or once the bottoms are browned. Remove from oven once both sides are browned.
- Step 5
- Serve with hummus or tahini-garlic sauce.
