Red lentil falafels

I've been thinking about red lentils for quite some time.....I've heard people in my WW meeting saying how they had eaten such and such delicious meal made with them for very low sp ....I've tried REALLY hard to get into them....I've had them in my hand in the shop several times in the last couple of years ready to go in my trolley....but they were never able to make it to the check out, let alone my pantry.

But recently I've managed to get them in the trolley, through the checkout and into my kitchen....yay!!! So...what to do with them......my lovely WW friend Kelly advised Red Lentil Dahl by the Chubbycubs (will be doing that soon)....but also I googled red lentils and found this recipe.....I've also been thinking about falafels for some time too....so it seemed like karma that brought them together....so I did it......this recipe makes 20 falafel at 1sp each and apparently they make great cold leftover lunches.......Original recipe here

Making these would be easy in a food processor (as described in the recipe) but mine died recently so I used my mini chopper to chop everything and then mixed it all together by hand.

Also I wanted to make these on a particular day and didn't have the fresh herbs in so modified it a bit....I left out the fresh herbs and added the second pepper, this made the mix a bit wet and therefore I was unable to form them into balls so they ended up as patties....next time I make them I will definitely use the fresh herbs and just 1 pepper.

Lets stay strong guys
Sue

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Ingredients

200g Split Red Lentils, cooked, rinsed
Handful of fresh flat leaf Parsley, remove stalks (I left this out)
Handful of fresh Coriander, remove stalks (I left this out too)
1 large Onion
1 or 2 medium Red pepper, use from a jar
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons Tahini paste (Sesame paste)
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons Olive Oil
Pinch Salt
Pinch of Black Pepper
1 teaspoon, level Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon, level Coriander, Dried
¹⁄₂ teaspoon, level Baking powder
1 tablespoon, level Plain White Flour
Few sprays Spray Oil

Method

Soak the lentils in fresh water overnight. When ready to make the falafels, strain and rinse the soaked lentils. Make sure to pick through the batch and discard any stones or debris.

This is what they looked like before and after!!!

In a food processor, pulse the lentils until they are coarsely ground, 3 to 5 times. Add the parsley, coriander, onion, and red pepper to the bowl, and pulse another few times.

Drizzle in the tahini paste, olive oil, spices, salt and pepper, and blend until almost smooth. Make sure not to over blend the mixture; you still want some crumb. Taste the mixture, and adjust the seasoning according to your liking.

Add the baking powder and the flour. Start by adding 1 tablespoon of flour at a time. If the mixture is still too liquidy add another. The mixture should be fairly moist, and if you add too much flour, the falafels will become too dry and hard when baked.

Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375° F.

Generously coat the falafels with oil spray and bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Make sure not to over cook these — you don't want them to dry out.


I had them with salad and tzatziki and some of my fridge pickles (recipe coming soon!!)....next day I had them again for lunch on a salad.....