Foods When I met my husband…I knew it must be love. Well, maybe I didn’t know on the first date that it was love, but I knew we’d be best-foodie-friends. We both love trying new ethnic cuisine—Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern. Yes, all of it and more! If you enjoying trying new flavors like we do, you’ll love this Baked Carrot Falafel.
When we changed our diet and went gluten-free this definitely put a damper in some of our culinary adventures. We’ve adapted and learned how to enjoy many different types and flavors of food (even being gluten-free).
Looking for gluten-free recipes and resources? This Everything Gluten Free page is a library of everything gluten free we’ve worked on.
Gluten-Free Baked Carrot Falafel!
Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food. But typically, you use all-purpose flour to make these yummy little patties. We’ve removed the flour and make them with naturally gluten-free chickpea flour, and they’re still just as tasty! If you don’t have chickpea flour on hand, you could use arrowroot or quinoa flour instead.
You can eat falafel as a side, or as a main dish as it was originally intended to be. We prefer it as a side. We often pair this with either green herb tahini sauce or classic hummus, some kabobs, and a salad. Ohhh…makes me hungry just thinking about it!
You’ll also find most falafel is pan fried…and it sure is delicious that way. But baking it is the lazy way and it’s not near as messy as having all those oil splatters to clean up.
I’ve given directions for baking, but feel free to put a couple inches of coconut oil in the bottom of a fry pan and fry each side for 3-5 minutes until browned. I’m sure they’d be tasty that way too!
Grain-Free Baked Carrot Falafel
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup carrots grated (about 2 medium)
- handful cilantro or parsley leaves and stem included
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne pepper if you like it hot, or paprika if you prefer no heat
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- Juice of half a lemon about 1 1/2 Tablespoon
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease well.
- Using a food processor or a box grater, grate the carrots.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the chickpeas, grated carrots, a small handful of cilantro or parsley, garlic cloves, cumin, coriander, and chili (or cayenne pepper or paprika) – depending on your heat tolerance.
- Pulse ingredients in the food processor until it breaks down into a coarse dough, stopping and scraping down the sides as you go.
- Add lemon juice and salt to taste and pulse again. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Add the chickpea flour, one tablespoon at a time, and mix it, till you can easily form a patty that does not break.
- Scoop about ¼ cup of dough and form in to flat patties and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping once in between until the patties are firm and slightly golden. Serve with tahini sauce or sauce of your choice.
Nutrition
What are some of your favorite gluten-free ethnic foods you enjoy?
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