Falafel Rainbow Bowl

A fantastic plant-based and oil-free falafel bowl filled with fresh greens, veggies, falafel, kalamata olives, and tzatziki sauce.

I first had falafel at a street vendor in New York City during Fleet Week in 2002. My friend urged me to try it – it was a set of fried round balls with the traditional accompaniments – though I admit I don’t fully remember the details now. I do remember being completely surprised to find green specks inside.

I loved the refreshing crisp cucumbers and tomatoes – oh, and that white yoghurt sauce! The meal was a complete surprise, as well as very good!! I had never had anything quite like it before.

Since that day in New York, I have had falafel many times from many different places. I have also made several different falafel recipes. The key ingredients remain the same – falafel is made of mashed chickpeas with a bunch of onions, fresh green herbs, and spices.

And that delicious white sauce is Tzatziki – comprised of yogurt, cucumber, and spices. Both are absolutely delicious.

Interestingly, in all this time, I haven’t come across a bad falafel. I don’t think bad falafel is possible. Okay, so sometimes falafel can be a bit dry. This is especially true when you bake them – all that moisture dissipates during the baking process in the oven. When I order falafel in a restaurant or food truck, it’s usually fried in oil and inherently retains more moisture. Lucky for you, these baked falafel are oil-free and still manage to retain their moisture.

Regardless, all of the incredible ingredients served with baked falafel solves the potential dryness dilemma. The uber fresh moisture heroes include tzatziki sauce, fresh greens, chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, hummus, and fresh lemon juice.. All of these key components add incredible moisture and incredible flavor into your Falafel Rainbow Bowl.

Please do not over cook your falafel. Take the falafel out as soon as they get the slightest hint of gold. If there are any leftover, you may want a bit more tzatziki or lemon juice, but I think that’s a general falafel phenomenon. Try saying that last bit five times fast.

And if you’re using dry garbanzo beans, you’ll need to soak them in water the night before. While the garbanzo beans are cooking, take time to set out and prep all of your ingredients. I use a food processor to make quick work of the herbs and garbanzo beans. The key is to pulse not puree. You want the falafel to maintain substance and not be mushy.

So this appears to be a fairly lengthy recipe. But it only appears this way since there are actually three recipes on one post – the falafel, the tzatziki, and the bowl. I promise It’s actually super simple with a food processor. Set aside an afternoon when you have time to play in the kitchen – it’s more enjoyable and less stressful.

And believe it or not, this can be a really fun family activity. If you have a kid or two or more, get them involved. Let them help prep the vegetables, make the tzatziki, and shape the falafel and set them on the pan. The falafel may not be perfectly round, but they will still be quite flavorful and your family will have enjoyed the experience together.

I hope you enjoy this Falafel Rainbow Bowl as much as I do.  

I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!   

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Falafel Ingredients

• 2 cups dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or 4-5 cups cooked/canned
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ cups parsley, chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, chopped
• 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

Falafel Instructions

1. Cover and Soak garbanzo beans in water overnight.
2. After 12 hours, rinse and the garbanzo beans and place in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker and cover with water.
3. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes, release pressure naturally.  When complete, gently rinse the garbanzo beans in cool water and drain.

1. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Using a food processor chopping blade, pulse the onions until finely diced. Then spoon the onion mixture into a large mixing bowl.
3. Pulse the cilantro, parsley, garlic, and jalapeño next.  Then add to the mixing bowl.
4. Pulse the cooked garbanzo beans 2-4 times.  You do not want this mixture smooth or the falafel will be too mushy and not hold its form.  You should see bits of bean. 
5. Spoon the garbanzo beans into the bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients. 
6. Stir to combine.

1. Shape into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
2. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden on top. 

To make the Tzatziki sauce, stir to combine the following ingredients in a bowl.

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cucumber, grated or finely diced
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• Salt to taste (optional)

For the Falafel Rainbow Bowl,   

• 2 cups mixed salad greens
• 2 cups cooked grain* 
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1-2 tomatoes, chopped
• ½ purple onion, chopped
• Kalama olives, slivered
• Roasted red peppers, chopped
• Falafel (recipe above)
• Tzatziki sauce (recipe above)

Notes

Be careful!! Do not over bake the falafel or they will be too dry, crack, and fall apart.

* You may use any kind of whole grain: quinoa, sorghum, millet, bulgur, kasha, rice, couscous. If you follow a gluten-free diet, please ensure your grain does not contain gluten. (Couscous and bulgar both contain gluten.)

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