Vegan. Oil free. Unfried. Falafel Burgers. Fabulous.

Good morning folks! Here's the final recipe from our Fourth of July party. I'm pretty impressed with myself that I've gotten them all up here on HGK and it's still July. Not! But seriously guys, this one is totally worth trying if you are a fan of falafel.

Not familiar with falafel? Here's the description from Wikipedia:

Falafel (/fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل‎, [fæˈlæːfɪl] is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is a traditional Arab food, usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa; "falafel" also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze.

Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. The Copts of Egypt claim to have first made the dish as a replacement for meat during Lent. The fritters are now found around the world as a replacement for meat and as a form of street food.

Although I had tried eating falafel as a kid, I didn't really acquire a taste for it until after college, when I moved to Los Angeles and my diet began expanding to larger amounts of ethnic and somewhat more spicy foods. Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Thai . . . these cuisines suddenly became far more accessible to me and my love affair with them began.


But no one on a Plant-strong or Nutritarian diet wants to eat a fried ball. So, I have made many attempts at a baked falafel and even falafel burgers, but had not hit on the “one” recipe that packed a full-of-flavor punch like a fried falafel ball does—until this.

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