The Corvallis Carrot

INGREDIENTS:

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2.5 oz kale

3 T tahini

1.5 oz onion (quarter of small onion)

1 lemon (juiced)

2 garlic cloves

1/4 c AP flour (oat flour to keep GF)

3/4 t paprika

2 t cumin

pinch of cardamom

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

For frying:

4 T grapeseed oil

For labneh:

1/2 c Greek yogurt

1/8 t salt

cheesecloth

strainer

Kale Falafel

Normally when I make falafels I like to use dry beans and soak them over night. Today however I was craving them and I just wanted to use up the rest of my cucmber and tomatoes from my garden. I normally save my canned chickpeas for hummus, but they worked just fine for these. A falafel is great source of protein for people who have cut meat out of their diet, 1 cup of chickpeas has 39 g of protien (that's about 6.5 eggs). It’s relatively low in fat and has no cholesterol if you fry it in a little grapeseed oil. Top it off with your favorite veggies to make it a delicious and fast meal. Traditionally falafels are served in pita bread, but any flat bread will do (naan pictured above).

Strain and rinse your chickpeas. If you only have 1 strainer you can strain your chickpeas first before making the labneh.

Start by making the labneh. Labneh is strained yogurt that has the consistency of a creamy goat cheese. The creamy tanginess of the cheese pairs perfectly with crunchy falafel. Greek yogurt has also been strained, labneh just takes it one step further.

Put the yogurt and salt on top of cheese cloth and place over strainer. The whey will start to seep out of the cloth, making the cheese firmer. For firmer cheese let the yogurt strain over night.

Cover with the cheese cloth and put in fridge until falafels are finished.

Roughly chop your kale and onions, add to your food processor, along with everything else.

I like to pulse it a couple of times, scraping down the sides. You don't want it as smooth as hummus, but you also don't want big chunks of chickpeas in it.

I like to portion them out on my silpat with a little bit of flour, you don't need to portion them though, you can just scoop the mixture right from your food processor into hot oil.

Put your oil in your pan, medium-high heat. I like to use grapeseed oil because it has a high smoke point and it's cholesterol free. It also has a very mild flavor, so you're going to taste the falafel, not a heavy oil.

Be careful of any splattering.

When the falafels start to brown, flip with a spatula. They may seem a little soft, but they'll firm up as they continue to cook. Normally they are deep fried, pan frying just omits some of the oil out of the finished product. Baking is another way to finish cooking them.

When your falafels are almost done you can remove your labneh and squeeze out any remaining whey.

The labneh will have a thicker consistency, and will spread smoothly.

Spread a thin layer of labneh over bread.

I normally put lettuce on the bottom and then cucmbers on one side, tomatoes on the other and the falafel in the center. But really however you want to top it is fine, fresh peppers and carrots would also taste delicious.

Enjoy!