CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI ’BU FALAFEL
Serves 4 to 6 INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped cauliflower (about ¼ head)
1 cup chopped broccoli (about ¼ head)
15-ounce can garbanzo beans or cooked chickpeas, homemade or purchased, drained
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped fresh kale or spinach 1 garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 teaspoons salt
1 cup dry bread crumbs, gluten-free if available, divided use
Olive oil
Lime Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (recipe below; optional)
Pucker Up Tahini Sauce (recipe below; optional)
DIRECTIONS
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drop in the cauliflower and broccoli and blanch for 1 minute. The vegetables should still be crispy and undercooked. Drain them and lay them out on paper towels to dry.
Once the cauliflower and broccoli are fully dry, put them in a food processor. Add the chickpeas, shallot, parsley, kale or spinach, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Pulse until just combined, leaving the mixture slightly chunky. Over-processing is always a bigger crime than under-processing. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in ½ cup of the bread crumbs. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls and flatten the top so they look like crab cakes. Coat both sides of the falafels in the remaining ½ cup bread crumbs. The falafels can be made up to this point several days in advance and refrigerated, and can also be frozen to use at a later date.
Heat some oil in a medium skillet over high heat, and saute about 6 of the falafels (do not crowd the skillet) until they are crisp on all sides and heated through, about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining falafels.
To serve, top the falafels with the Lime Cucumber Yogurt Sauce or the Pucker Up Tahini Sauce or both. Don’t feel like making a sauce? You can serve these with any leftover salsa in your fridge, or with a salad tossed with lemon dressing.
Lime Cucumber Yogurt Sauce Makes 1½ cups
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plain whole-milk or vegan yogurt 1 Persian cucumber or ½ hothouse cucumber, diced fine
1 tablespoon chopped red onion, shallot or green onions
Juice from 1 lime
1 garlic clove, grated
½ cup chopped fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley, mint, chives or your choice Salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil DIRECTIONS
Mix me all together and I am delish. Serve me with your favorite dish. Tips: To make a thicker dip, place your yogurt in a cheesecloth bag set over a bowl and let the excess liquid drain off for a few hours. Grate or dice the cucumber and mix it with salt to taste. Squeeze out the excess liquid from this cucumber-salt mixture, and then combine it with the drained yogurt and the remaining ingredients.
Pucker Up Tahini Sauce Makes 1 cup
INGREDIENTS
½ cup tahini
Juice from 1 lemon
¼ cup hot water
1 garlic clove, grated
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon honey, agave or maple syrup (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Spoon the tahini into a small bowl, then add the lemon juice. The mixture will seize up and get stiff, so thin it with the ¼ cup hot water to make a smoother sauce. Add the garlic and olive oil, and season to taste with salt. For a sweeter sauce, stir in the honey, agave, or maple syrup.