Exciting news – my cookbook, Good Clean Food, is officially here! Although you have probably caught wind of it on social, I wanted to share an official thank you. You all have made my day through your messages, emails, reviews, and all the photos! Thank you so much for bringing my book into your home. And because I love seeing all your photos, please keep sharing them using the tag them #CFDCcookbook to make sure I don’t miss them! Stay tuned for an exciting giveaway this week 🙂

To celebrate the book, I’m sharing the recipe for my mediterranean falafel bowl with green tahini dressing. I’m a big falafel fan and when I discovered I could bake it and still deliver the familiar, delicious flavors of traditional falafel I was hooked. I often end up sneaking a few straight off the baking sheet but when they do make it to the bowl I love pairing it with this millet grain salad. Millet is one of the easiest grains to digest and what I love most about it is it’s chewy ‘cous cous’ like texture – unlike any other gluten free grain I’ve tried. I hope you enjoy bringing this one to your table!

 

Ingredients
makes 20 falafel; serves 4

Mediterranean grain salad

  • 1 cup millet
  • Sea salt or pink salt
  • 1 English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and cut into medium dice
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Herbed falafel

  • 1/3 cup walnuts (or almonds)
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained)
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic gloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon buckwheat, chickpea or other gf flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt or pink salt
  • 1/4 cup mixed herbs (such as parsley, mint, cilantro, and chives)
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Green tahini dressing

  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Sea salt or pink salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Serve with: mixed greens or arugula and hemp hearts

Method

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

For the salad: In a large pan, toast the millet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the grains start to turn golden brown. Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the millet and a pinch of salt, stir, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and cover it with a kitchen towel to let the millet steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Gently fluff the grains and let them cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine the cucumbers tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Once the millet is nearly cool, add to the bowl and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the falafel: In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until they are fine and crumbly. Add the chickpeas, onion, and garlic, and pulse a few more times. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until a nice texture is achieved and the ingredients are well combined. Use a tablespoon-size cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture. Moisten your hands with water or oil and gently roll the mix into balls and place them on the parchment. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the falafel with oil. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the falafel is golden on all sides, flipping them halfway through.

For the dressing: In a food processor or blender, blend the tahini, parsley, lemon juice and garlic until well combined. Slowly drizzle in water as needed until you reach a pourable consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Serve the falafel in a bowl with the millet salad, greens, hemp hearts, and a generous drizzle of the tahini dressing. Enjoy!