Recipe | Green Lentils Baked Falafel

These really happened by mistake... the other day I had decided to cook up a big batch of green lentils to turn into salads, curries & what not.. I may have forgotten about them for a little too long so they ended up being wayyy overcooked, mushy & not so great to eat just like that (lentils are  hard work to cook..right?!) I thought about making soup out of them, which could have been the second best option until the magical lightbulb appeared : FALAFEL. 

I have to say I've really improvised on these ones, so please be kind to me falafel police! They are perfect with hummus (broken record..) in a wrap, or eaten in a salad, as a side to salad, dipped in soup (weird I know), dipped in tahini lemon dressing, with hummus....(ok I'll stop now)

You can easily make these gluten free if you use buckwheat flour or chickpea flour & make sure your baking soda is also GF. 

Now if you excuse me I'm gonna stuff my face with the rest of these with HUMMUS... HAHAHA

Ingredients (makes about 20):

- 2 cups of green lentils (over)cooked 

- 1/2 red onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 tbsp of tahini

- 1 tbsp of olive oil

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp of cumin + 1 tsp of paprika

- 1 tsp of salf + a little black pepper

- 1/2 tsp of baking soda

- 1-3 tbsp of buckwheat flour/chickpea flour/all purpose flour

- Optional : Parsley + Coriander / a little chilli to make them hot.

Notes :

+ You will have pre-cooked your lentils following the instructions on the pack - don't stress if they are slightly over-cooked, I think it's actually better ;) - let them cool down completely.

+ In a food processor, add in your lentils, onion, garlic (coriander & parsley if you fancy it!) & pulse until it gets all crumbly. 

+ Add in your tahini, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt & pepper - pulse a few more times.

+ Put your mixture into a big bowl, add in your beaten egg, baking soda & flour one spoon at a time. If the mixture is too dry add in one more egg or a bit more olive oil, if it's too runny add in more flour.

+ Place your mixture to cool in your fridge for about 30 minutes.

+ On a tray lined with parchment paper, make small balls with your lentil mixture, make them the size you want - I actually think this would make a pretty decent lentil burger too..!

+ Place in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on your oven) you want them to get slightly golden, don't let them in for too long or they'll dry out!

+ You can keep these in an air tight container for a few days in the fridge, I like to reheat mine in the oven for a couple of minutes!

Bon appétit!