A friend of mine recently told me he was eager to become a vegetarian, or at least give it a go. When this happens, I get heart palpitations. There is a very short period of time to get someone inspired by plant powered eating (not exclusively plants!) and ensure them they are not going to be hungry for the rest of their lives. Whilst it’s probably the out of season tomatoes at salad bars that are to blame here, I take this on as a genuine responsibility. Amongst almost all researchers and defined diets, there is one similar value and that is most people could use: more plants! Absolutely you should keep your chicken and fish but don’t forget your vegetables and fiber rich plant foods.
I have made these falafels in the past and decided to give them another go as they are utterly delicious. Serves well with cauliflower pilaf or quinoa, roasted cauliflower and greens. Take them for a potluck, a picnic or pack them for a delicious work lunch. You may be tired of quinoa by now, but from a plant protein perspective, it’s important to have a broad spectrum of amino acids (protein building blocks) to ensure you’re getting enough of the nine essential amino acids. Here we are layering protein profiles from pumpkin seeds, pistachios and chickpeas. The recipe is barely adapted from Green Kitchen Stories.
Pistachio and Herb Falafels
Ingredients:
¼ cup of mint
¼ cup of parsley
½ cup toasted pistachios
½ cup of pumpkin seeds
2 cups of chickpeas (rinse very thoroughly)
2 cloves of garlic
3 Tbsp. EVOO
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. sea salt
Fresh pepper
1 tbsp. GF flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Directions:
In a food processor, blend down the herbs and nuts, and then the garlic and onion. Once chopped roughly, add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until part smooth, part chunk. Roll into balls (about 20 – 24), and bake at 375F for about 15 minutes.
They can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Sarah is a qualified Nutritional Therapist. Follow her on instagram at swnutrition.bm
