Roasted Cauliflower Falafel

This recipe is remarkably east to make, nourishing and testament to cauliflowers versatility.  Actually, I’m of the opinion that it’s one of the most versatile of vegetables.  Gone are the days when the height of cauliflower cuisine was cauliflower cheese!

A great lunch option or make a little larger for dinner, pop in a bun, add a salsa, salad and fries and you have  the perfect veggie burger feast.

Print Recipe

Roasted Cauliflower Falafel with Tahini Dressing

Makes 10 patties

Prep Time24 minutes mins

Cook Time33 minutes mins

Total Time57 minutes mins

Course: Lunch/Dinner

Servings: 4 people

Equipment

• Food processor

Ingredients

• ½ Cauliflower or approx 350g
• 1 400g tin chickpeas drained
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ Lemon juice & zest
• 2 Tbls wholemeal spelt or plain (buckwheat if you’re GF)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp Cumin
• A good pinch Cayenne pepper
• Salt & pepper
• 1 ½ Tbls Parsley chopped
• 1 ½ Tbls Tahini
• 3-4 Tbls Natural yogurt leave out if you're vegan
• 3 Tbls Olive oil
• Salad leaves
• Pomegranate seeds optional
• 2 tbls Dill fronds

Instructions

• Begin by breaking the cauliflower into even sized florets. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes at 180C. Cool slightly.
• Place the cauliflower into your food processor with the drained chickpeas the remaining cumin, flour, parsley, a squeeze of lemon, lemon zest and garlic. Blitz, scrape down the sides of the food processor, season and blitz again. Pour the contents of the processor into a bowl. Give it a good stir.
• Dampen your hands and shape into 10 patties, approximately 6cm in diameter. Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil. Place the falafel in the pan and fry on a medium heat, after approximately 3-4 minutes, flip them over and cook for the same time on the other side.
• Pour the tahini into a bowl, add approximately 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Then add the yogurt. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on a bed of salad leaves, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, dill fronds and drizzle with the tahini dressing. Serve warm or cold.

Tips:

• If you like a more mellow garlic flavour roast whole in their skins with the cauliflower.  Remove the skin and add to the other ingredients when processing in the mixer.
• For added creaminess use Greek instead of natural yoghurt.