Pumpkin Falafel :

So, it may already be becoming apparent that I have a love of roasted pumpkin and of adding it to various dishes. It’s such a versatile and delicious ingredient. I couldn’t resist adding it to my simple baked falafel for meat-free Monday this week.

This recipe is so easy to throw together – just blitz, shape and bake! No frying means you have your hands free to do other things (and aren’t there always other things to do?!?) while they brown away in the oven. But you do have to plan this one the day before, so you can soak your chickpeas.

I always serve these up with a tasty salad of shredded cos lettuce, fresh parsley, tomato, red capsicum, cucumber, red onion and grated carrot dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. Flatbread and hummus complete the meal and mean everyone can create their own wrap their own way. I find my children are far more receptive to meals if they have a chance to DIY part of it at least!

For the flatbreads, I used this Skinnymixers recipe: Skinnymixer’s pita bread wraps. I have successfully made these using wheat flour (both white and a mix of wholemeal and white), wholemeal spelt flour and khorosan (kamut) flour, as I did tonight.

And of course you can make your own hummus, but if you’re going for store-bought, try to choose one with simple ingredients and free from preservatives and additives.

This recipe makes plenty of falafel for our family, providing us with tasty leftovers for lunchboxes (and they freeze quite well too). I hope you enjoy them!

Roasted Pumpkin Falafel

Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water
1-2 cups (approx) cubed roasted pumpkin
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 small brown onion
1/3 cup fresh coriander
1/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tsp fresh lemon rind
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C (180 fan-forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper and spritz with olive oil.

2. Add ingredients to food processor (or Thermomix). I usually process onion and garlic first, then add chickpeas, then herbs, than add the remaining ingredients. Scrape down the sides of your bowl as necessary, and process until you have reached a fairly smooth consistency, like this:

3. Now take large tablespoons of the mixture and form into balls or oval shapes (damp hands can help) and place on the tray. Depending on the amount of pumpkin I’ve added, I usually get between 16-20 falafels.