Falafel Salad Bowls (GF + Vegan)

I’ve been out of the kitchen for a long time – which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I’ve been busy; I got to shake up months of endless winter weather with a quick trip to the south. Bad because eating the food I cook makes me feel centered and healthy – and I truly miss the kitchen when I am away.

I spent a few days in Texas last week and surprised even myself with my thirst for sunshine. I sought out sidewalks and benches and every sunny spot I could in order to stare up at the sky and soak in the sun. Back in NYC, the city greeted me with frigid temperatures and snow…but things are looking up. Today, the sun came out enough to make building overhangs rain off the snow. And I connected with a food brand that is everything I love about New York.

Spin Sauce is a bottled version of the staple the city’s halal street carts – white sauce. The recipe was honed by Afghan refugees who opened a restaurant after fleeing to NYC. Today, 30 years later, their son is bottling the sauce in three variations – white, hot white sauce, and hot sauce. This. This is New York!

I couldn’t resist baking up some falafel to pair with the sauce and decided a salad would be the perfect weekday lunch recipe. I also created a vegan tahini dressing that can be paired with the salad in place of Spin Sauce. Enjoy!

For the falafel salad:
2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups of chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 packed cup of parsley, rinsed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp of oil
1.5 tbsp of coconut flour
1 tbsp tahini
Salt, pepper, optional: harissa paste for spice
1 16 oz bag of kale or romaine (or both!)
1 large English cucumber or 5 – 6 Persian cucumbers
3 cups cherry tomatoes
For the dressing:
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp water
Salt, pepper, dried dill

Directions:

Begin by making your falafel. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine drained and rinsed chickpeas, 2 cups of chopped onion, garlic, parsley, 2 tbsp of oil, and tbsp of tahini in a large bowl (if using an immersion blender) or a food processor. If looking for spice, add in a generous dollop of harissa paste.

Chop and blend, leaving the batter a bit chunky.

Add coconut flour and stir until well combined. Add a few shakes of salt and pepper then use your finger to taste and add additional salt as needed. Let batter cool in fridge for an hour.

Line a baking tray with parchment and use a spoon to scoop the batter into your hands, forming 2 inch balls and slightly flattening them as you place them on the tray.

Bake falafel for 35 – 40 minutes. It’s okay if they brown a bit on the bottom. Remove from heat and cool.

Meanwhile, slice your cucumber into long strips and chop them to form small cubes. Combine in a bowl with the 1/2 cup of chopped onion. Slice your cherry tomatoes lengthwise in half and add them to the bowl as well. Stir the cucumber, tomato and onion together.

Next, mix this Israeli salad with your lettuce, making a bed for the falafel.

Last, combine 3 tbsp of tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and water in a bowl. Whisk thoroughly until the entire mixture is the consistency of yogurt. Add a few shakes of salt, pepper, and if you have it on hand – dried dill.

Top the salad with falafel and drizzle on Spin Sauce or the vegan tahini dressing and enjoy.