I’ve been stuck in a rut recently. Not quite knowing what to cook and often ending up with a varied bunch of vegetables topped with some vinaigrette dressing. Nothing wrong with any of that at all but it can sometimes get a bit dull. I guess we are all the same, when there is a lot going on we loose the time to experiment and play around with new flavours. And flavour is so important, especially during winter time when you long for spice, heat and comfort. So when my friend cooked these vegan and gluten-free falafels for me last week I got so excited that I came home and recreated them right away.

Originally a Swedish recipe it has been slightly altered to fit what I had at home. This is a protein rich dish with a wonderful tangy flavour and plenty of healthy fats. The falafels (or ‘balls’) are best cooked slow so that you get a nice crispy surface yet a soft inside.

Vegan Red lentil and chick pea falafels

(original recipe from Coop Sweden)

Red lentil falafels

2dl red lentils

200g (1/2 can) chick peas

1 red pepper

1/2 yellow onion

1/2 dl almond flour

1 dl gluten free flour

1 tsp baking powder

Coriander pot

Salt & Pepper

Oil for cooking

Curry sauce

1/2 onion

1 tbsp red  curry paste or 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp curry powder

400ml coconut oil

1 vegetable stock cube

1 lime, juice and grated rind (I used lemon as I didn’t have lime, worked a treat)

140g fresh spinach leaves

Salt & Pepper

Oil for cooking

How to:

1. Cook the red lentils according to instructions. Let cool. Mix the cooked lentils and the chickpeas in a food processor or blender and then transfer to a mixing bowl.
2. Finely chop the red pepper and onion. Mix almond flour, gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Chop the coriander and add.
3. Stir in the pepper, onion, the flour mixture and the coriander into the lentil mixture. Leave a little coriander for garnishing. Mix thoroughly and form 20 falafel shaped balls. Heat up the oil in the frying pan and fry on medium heat until you have a lovely crisp surface. I did this in batches as you can’t fit all the falafels in the pan all at once. Keep the cooked falafels on low heat in the oven until ready to eat.
4. Whilst the falafels is cooking, peel and slice the onion finely. Heat the oil in a pan and add the curry paste or curry powders for about a minute. Add the onions and cook until slightly soft. Add the coconut milk and the vegetable stock cube. Bring to boil and then let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and grated peel and finally stir in the spinach. Add salt if necessary and serve right away.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Much love,

Birgitta x