Vegan pumpkin falafel in an autumn inspired bowl, with apple, potatoes, and beets. The pumpkin adds a little sweetness and keeps these baked falafel from drying out, and serving them in a bowl makes everything a bit better.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 35 minutesminutes
Total Time 50 minutesminutes
Servings 2people
Ingredients
Pumpkin Falafel
1 ½cupsroasted butternut squash
1medium onionquartered
3clovesgarlic
3cmpiece ginger
2cmpiece turmeric**
1teaspoonground cumin
¼teaspoonhot pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2tablespoonsolive oil
2tablespoonsapple cider vinegar
1tablespoontahini paste
⅓cuprolled oats
1 ½cupchickpeassoaked for 24 hours beforehand
Fall Nourish Bowl
2medium beets
2medium yellow-flesh potatoes
1avocadosliced
1applesliced
6-8pumpkin falafel
2scoops tahini dip
Pomegranate arilsoptional
Tahini Mustard Dip
¼cuptahini paste
2tablespoonsapple cider vinegar
1tablespoonolive oil
1teaspoondijon mustard
½teaspoonhoney/maple syrupsee warning
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Pumpkin Falafel
Preheat your oven to 200C / 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the butternut squash into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it's pureed. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and spices, and pulse until finely chopped and incorporated. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, tahini, oats, and chickpeas, and pulse again until the chickpeas are broken down into mostly small pieces (the occasional whole chickpea is fine) and you have a mixture that holds together when pressed.
Form ping-pong sized balls of falafel and place about 3 cm apart on the baking sheet. You may need to wet your hands every once in a while to keep the mixture from sticking to your fingers. Bake at 200C for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
Serve hot, or leave to cool completely on a cooling rack and then keep them in the fridge for up to three days. They're best fresh and pretty good cold, but tend to dry out a little when they're reheated, so I suggest eating leftovers cold in a wrap or pita.
Fall Nourish Bowl
Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F and line a baking sheet with paper.
Wash and slice the beets and potatoes in 1 cm slices. Drizzle some heat-safe oil and sprinkle some salt over them and turn a couple of times to coat. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden.
To assemble the bowls, place half of the ingredients in each bowl, top with the dip, and drop a few pomegranate arils onto each one if you're using them.
Tahini Mustard Dip
In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients except for the honey until combined. Then add the honey and stir until it's just incorporated.
If you mix for too long with the honey, the dip will no longer be smooth as liquid sweetener will cause seed and nut pastes to solidify (you can see in the pictures that I stirred just a little too long). It won't taste different, it just won't look as appealing.
Notes
• To roast the squash, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Place the halves cut side down on a paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 175C / 350F for about an hour, or until easily pierced with a fork. Scoop out the required amount for this recipe and either freeze the rest or use it for another recipe. • I usually put the chickpeas in water when I'm making dinner the day before so I don't forget. * If you can't get fresh turmeric, you can omit it or substitute 1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric.