Black bean & quinoa falafel

For those of you not familiar with falafel, it is a traditional Middle Eastern fare. A vegetarian patty traditionally made from ground chickpeas & deep fried. In my usual Pure Foods kitchen twist, this falafel is pan seared with a minimal amount of fat, and made from black beans quinoa and chickpea flour to add more of a nutritional punch.
I serve it with a lemony tahini garlic sauce that kicks things up more then a few flavor notches!! 🙂
By combining black beans quinoa and chickpeas, this falafel has a complete plant based protein profile (with all essential amino acids present).

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained (13.5 – 15 oz)
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
4 garlic cloves, chopped into little pieces
1 cup white onion, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (cook 1 cup quinoa according to instructions)
2 tbsp flax meal
4 tbsp boiling water
10 tbsp garbanzo flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp onion powder
cooking oil spray

For lemony tahini garlic sauce:
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon
1/4 tsp stevia powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp shiro miso paste
3 tbsp water
1/8 tsp salt
pepper to preference

View the full recipe at Pure Foods Blog →