Falafel with Tzatziki and Roast Mediterranean Vegetables
I'm always looking for ways to eat less meat. It's better for your health and better for the environment. Here's a delicious way to do just that.
Despite having a lot of steps this recipe is quite straightforward and quick when you get down to it.
Time: 45 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
4 Cloves of Garlic
2 Small Onions (red if possible)
1 Courgette
1 Aubergine
1 Cucumber
2 Peppers
1 Can of Chickpeas in water (400g)
40g Fresh Coriander
20g Fresh Mint
250g Natural Yoghurt
1 lemon (for juice)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
2 teaspoons of paprika
100ml olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of flour
3 teaspoons of salt
Equipment
Grater
Frying Pan
Mixing Bowl
Colander
Sharp Knife
Baking Tray
Hand Blender
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Finely dice one of the onions .
3. Fry the onion in olive oil for a 5-10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until well softened. Removed from the heat and set aside to add to the falafel.
4. While the onions are frying prepare the other ingredients for the falafel. Finely dice 2 cloves of garlic. Remove the stems of the coriander and chop finely. Strain the chickpeas and rinse with water.
5. Place the ingredients for the falafel; the fried onions, the diced garlic, the ground cumin, the ground coriander, half of the paprika, the fresh coriander, 5ml of lemon juice, 20ml of olive oil and the flour, into a jug or other tall container. Blend them all togther using a handblender, or use a food processor if you have one).
5. Make 4 pattys of equal size from the mixture and place in the fridge while you work on the other elements of the recipe.
6. Now, prepare the roast vegetables. Cut the peppers into roughly 2cm squares.
7. Remove the tops and bottoms of the aubergines and cut them into 1cm rounds. Cut the larger slices again to make them roughly the same size as the smaller ones. Remove the tops and bottoms of the courgettes and again cut them into 1cm slices. Place the chopped aubergines and courgettes in a colander and sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt. Leave them to sweat over a bowl for around 10 minutes.
8. Top and tail the remaining red onion, remove the skin and cut it into 8 pieces.
9. Place the onion, aubergine, courgette and peppers together in a large bowl and drizzle over 50ml of olive oil. Mix well and ensure the vegetables are well covered. Then spinkle over the remaining paprika. Place on a tray and roast in the over for 40 minutes.
10. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the tzatziki. Remove the skin and seeds from the cucumber and grate it.
11. Place in the colander and sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over it. Mix the salt in well and leave over a bowl to sweat for 5 minutes or so.
12. Crush the garlic cloves by finely dicing, sprinlling with a little salt and then mashing with a fork.
13. Remove the stems of the mint and dice the leaves finely.
14. In a bowl, mix together the remaining lemon juice, the yoghurt, the cucumber, the yoghurt, the crushed garlic and the diced mint and place in the fridge.
15. On a hot pan, in a good splash of oil, fry the furgers for 2 minutes on either side until they are nicely browned. Place in the oven on a baking tray for 10 minutes.
