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10 Minute Falafel Cakes with Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing

April 29, 2014 by Ella

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For a ‘foodie’ there’s nothing I love more than turning around a quick delicious dinner in no time!

This recipe for Falafel Cakes really is a recipe for 10 Minute Falafel Cakes! You throw a few things together, no soaking or other prep work required – Bam! Dinner’s done!!

And it’s healthy, real food that’s big on taste and small on cooking time ;)

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10 Minute Falafel Cakes with Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing : vegan and gluten free

Prep and cook time : under 10 minutes  |  Serves 3-4

Ingredients : do use organic as much as possible

1 can of chickpeas (BPA free)
1/4 medium onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of potato starch
1/2 cup of leftover rice or quinoa (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
bunch of fresh parsley
grape seed oil for cooking

Directions :

Add all ingredients into a food processor and process until all combined. The texture should be even small crumbs that stick together when pressed. Do not overmix though or the mixture will become too sticky.

Heat a large cast iron pan with grape seed oil. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of mixture onto your hands, shape into a ball and press down a little to make cakes. Cook on the pan for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Alternatively you can bake them but the cooking time alone will be about 25-30 minutes. Simply place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (not wax paper) and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, flipping over half way through.

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Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing : dairy free/ egg free/ vegan

Ingredients :

1 tablespoon of vegan mayo
1 tablespoon of tahini
about 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon
1 tablespoon or more of non-dairy creamer or non-dairy unsweetened milk
1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions : 

Whisk first 4 ingredients together, then slowly pour in the EVOO while vigorously mixing the dressing to emulsify the consistency. Add in seasoning. Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

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Serve the Falafel Cakes with Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing on a bed of baby arugula salad with avocado wedges and thinly sliced red onion. Enjoy!

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These gluten-free and vegan Falafel Cakes are so seriously good! They’re so versatile too… you can serve them with just a salad for lunch or make them part of a bigger meal with a side of brown rice and veggies. 

I also liked adding a little leftover rice in there – you can do that too if you have some grains on hand, if not you can completely skip that.

Of course the best thing about them is that they are so quick to make! There’s really no excuses to stop by a drive through and feed your family pick up or delivery food.

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There’s just something about the connection we get from the full experience of cooking from scratch that gives us pure pleasure and heightens our taste buds so all our senses are alerted… from the smell of each ingredient as we peel it, chop it and experience it’s aroma in the air to the mixing with our bare hands and experiencing the texture and freshness of our food. The sizzling pan activating more of our senses and allowing the scents to fill our kitchen… anyone who walks in the door now is automatically hypnotized with pure delicious food…. enjoy my friends! Everyone has 10 minutes, no?

♥

Pure Ella 

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Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten-Free, Vegan Tagged With: anti candida diet, comfort food, falafel

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Comments

  1. Skye says

    April 29, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    I just love this kind of recipe. so fresh and simple. Perfect for those days when you want to eat rather than cook. And that tahini dressing sounds divine.

  2. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says

    April 29, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    Definitely my kind of meal! This looks so yummy!!

  3. cj says

    April 29, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    Congratulations on your selection as a finalist in the Saveur Food Blog Awards!

    I would to personally invite you to share your gorgeous food photos with us over at Food Foto Gallery . com – In March alone, we had 26,382 visitors to the site & there’s no complicated approval process like the big guys. Any photos related to food (that are not watermarked) are accepted & get posted automatically. Being a food blogger, myself, we also share our daily faves on social media, giving exposure to fellow foodies whenever we can.

    Let me know if you have any questions and hope to see you at the site :)

  4. Gabby @ the veggie nook says

    April 29, 2014 at 9:15 pm

    I love this Ella! I always want falafel but hate to put in the time. i can’t wait to try this and I almost always have all these ingredients on hand!

  5. Lane | Green Spirit Adventures says

    May 1, 2014 at 10:29 am

    These look so lovely! I can’t wait to try them – I’m a huge fan of falafels! Beautiful photos as well. :)

  6. The Vegan Cookie Fairy says

    May 2, 2014 at 3:55 am

    This looks beautiful! I’m in need of comfort food today – maybe falafels for dinner? :)

  7. Helen @ Scrummy Lane says

    May 18, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    Hello! What a beautiful blog and how delicious-looking (and sounding) is this salad! I’ve always loved falafel but somehow have never got around to making any myself. I’ve just brought back a big bucket of tahini from Greece, though, so I think I may have found the perfect recipe for it!

  8. Lauren says

    July 30, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    I made these today, and they didn’t turn out very well. The recipe didn’t specify to drain the chickpeas, so I didn’t – and as a result, the batter was very goopy. I’ll try again, draining the chickpeas.

    • Ella says

      August 12, 2014 at 2:51 pm

      Hi Lauren,
      Sorry to hear about these Falafel Cakes not turning out as they should ;(
      My apologies for not being clear… yes it is rinsing and draining completely.
      I hope you do try this recipe again and will enjoy it soon ;)
      Let me know if you do!!
      Sending my best,
      xo Ella

  9. Karolina says

    August 7, 2014 at 6:45 am

    Hi there, are these good for freezing? x

    • Ella says

      August 12, 2014 at 2:44 pm

      Hi Karolina ;)
      Thanks for your question, Yes they are great for freezing.
      Just add a little sheet of parchment paper in between them so they don’t stick, then wrap them up air-tight in a plastic wrap or a container. They’re good for about 3 months.
      Great to make a double batch and freezing 1/2 of it for quick dinners or lunches.
      To defrost them, I would leave in the fridge for a few hours then warming up in the toaster oven or putting them frozen into the toaster oven at a lower temperature to defrost and get hot in there.
      Sorry, I don’t use the microwave so I don’t recommend that…. ;)
      Let me know how you like these!!
      xoxo ella

  10. Amanda B says

    October 22, 2014 at 11:08 am

    I have made these before, they turned out really great, I didn’t use potato starch however, I used arrow root! Thanks!

    • Ella says

      October 22, 2014 at 12:19 pm

      Hi Amanda,
      That’s so great to hear you enjoyed them…. yes, arrowroot works great too.
      I used potato in the recipe as it’s a more common ingredient people use, so I try to keep things simple.
      But any starch works well, potato, arrowroot, tapioca or corn (but I don’t use corn starch in my recipes b/c then it invites people to buy GMO corn starch – not many will go out and make sure they buy organic corn starch… anyway. Seems like there’s a reason for something behind every recipe ;)
      Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your sweet comment ;)
      Hugs!!!!
      xoxo ella

  11. susan says

    February 1, 2015 at 12:55 pm

    Hi Ella, I was wondering if you could leave out the potato starch or have a non starch subsitute? I am trying to cut starches,refined sugars, gluten Since I was also recently diagnosed with an inflamatory autoimmune disease (AS). I just found ur blog and will be trying ur sweet and sour chicken tomorrow. Its a little harder for me to find certain ingredients since im currently living in indonesia but im trying my best. Ur positive writing makes me feel hopeful and motivated to take control over my health. Thank u for that!

    • Ella says

      February 2, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      Hi Susan,
      Yes you can substitute it… I would recommend chickpea flour – hope you have that around.
      If not, try omitting it completely, although they may come out a bit more crumbly. Let me know how it goes. Have a wonderful time in Indonesia ;) xoxo

Welcome to Pure Ella! I share delicious and nourishing plant-based wheat and/or gluten-free recipes that are always pure and natural! ps. I wrote a book about how you can cut sugar the healthy way so you don't feel deprived! YOU will love it! Click below to check it out! Thank YOU for all your support and for being here and embracing a healthier & happier life! xo ella

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Ella Leché

Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer and Author. Loves healthy food, photography, sunshine and dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters. Read More…

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