One more day till the weekend! Woot!
Last night’s dinner was a slice ball of heaven. Sweet potato falafel ball heaven, that is.
Even though falafel was one of my favorite foods as a child–we used to go to a local deli and order them for dinner a few times/month–I haven’t enjoyed this treat in years. When I was at Costco last week, I spotted falafel for sale in the refrigerator section and was reminded of it’s crispy, crunchy goodness. I denied my urge to buy them, however, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to polish off 2+ pounds of falafel before the expiration date.
Regrets? Yes! Falafel balls have been on my mind ever since!
dreaming of falafel
Last night, however, I finally got my falafel fix. 
I would have never imagined that something could make this Middle-Eastern staple even tastier than it already was.
Enter: SWEET POTATO
I came across this recipe yesterday, after my friend, Elaina, sent me an e-mail about the 101 Cookbooks-inspired mock Thin Mints she’d made over the weekend. Naturally, I moseyed my way on over to the website to take a look.
After drooling over the faux Girl Scout cookies, I began clicking my way through recipes and found this gem:
Sweet Potato Falafel
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
The what should I make for dinner question was answered!
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 700g or 1 1/2 pounds–I recommend measuring if you can, so that you end up with the right consistency)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2-4 T. cilantro, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Scant 1 cup (120g chickpea flour
2t.–1 T. olive oil
Sesame seeds
Salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Cook sweet potatoes, either in the oven or microwave, until soft on the inside. (Oven takes about 45 minutes @ 425 degrees; Microwave takes about 10 minutes). Let cool a bit, or until no longer too hot to handle. Peel the skins off the potatoes with your hands.
2. If oven is not already heated, preheat to 400 degrees.
3. Combine the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, coriander, cilantro, lemon juice and chickpea flour in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then mash until smooth (no large chunks). The consistency should be sticky, but not wet. (If it’s wet, add more flour).
4. Using your hands, form 20 falafel balls and place them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Top each ball with sesame seeds.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until slightly crispy, and the bases are golden brown.
ENJOY!
The falafel were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Each ball was packed with the perfect ratio of sweet and savory flavor. YUM!
I served the falafel with garlicky greens, which was another 101 Cookbooks-inspired recipe:
Garlicky Greens
1 large bunch of chard
1-2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional, but definitely worth it!)
This was very easy: De-stem the chard and tear each leaf into bite-size pieces. Heat olive oil in large pan, add greens and salt and saute for a few minutes, or until greens begin to soften. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds more. Remove from heat, plate, and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Chopped tomatoes, drizzled with lemon juice and an aioli of sorts (Greek yogurt, light mayonnaise and garlic) were perfect accompaniments.
What made this meal even better?
Oh my, Peanut Butter Pie!
Click here for the recipe!
I also added the recipe for Berry Tart with Walnut Crust, which was featured in my last post, to my Nourish page. Click here for that recipe!
I hope you have a fun, sun-filled summery weekend!
Are you a falafel fan? Have you ever made a homemade version?
Where you an adventurous eater as a kid?
I LOVED trying new foods when I was young! I would eat ANYTHING! The spicier, more foreign, the better! In fact, I’d be quite disappointed when I’d visit friends’ houses and their parents would fix separate “kid” food for us. I wanted what the adults were eating!
