Friday 21 March 2014

Anja's Herbed Cauliflower Carrot Falafels in Romaine Cups

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

QOTSA ~ First It Giveth
Harry Connick Jr ~ Don't Get Around Much Anymore
JET ~ Move On
Thunder ~ River Of Pain
Beth Hart ~ Burn Chile
NIN ~ Heresy
PCD ~ Don't Cha
Eric Clapton ~ What Would I Do Without You
James Morrison ~ Up
Adam & The Ants ~ Ant Rap
Nickelback ~ Something In Your Mouth
The Zutons ~ Long Time Coming
Janiva Magness ~ It's Your Voodoo Working
Halestorm ~ Unbreakable Promises

It is a beautiful, bright spring day here in England. Ha! As I typed that a dirty great big cloud covered the sun and I was pitched into darkness..lol. Oh well..it's Friday at least. It's a quiet Friday morning for me despite the fact I have the company of Little Legs (Layla). She's in a quiet mood and so am I. My energy levels have died this week as a side effect of my illness. I am also fighting off another lurgy...you don't have one for ages and then two come along..lol. Buses and all that. But I am blasting the germs with ginger/chilli/garlic and drinking plenty of fluids so I will fight it off again...if only by sheer bloody mindedness. lol 

It is little Noo's 5th birthday this weekend so R & R HQ smells of chocolate cakes. ML was busy last night baking many chocolate cakes to make a Pirate Ship and Island with Treasure Chest cake for Noo's party tomorrow..the theme being Pirates and Princesses. She of course is going to be a Pirate Princess and I know she will rock it. Little Legs is going as a princess and Myles has had his pirate outfits for weeks and has been practising. lol. It's going to be great fun but my poor sister is going to be exhausted but little Noo is going to have the best time. So I am enjoying the quiet time because in a few hours it's going to be...mad. 

Todays recipe comes from the kitchen of Anja over at Anja's Food 4 Thought. I had a cauliflower I needed to use and wanted a dish that could be made in advance for a busy weekend. For Anjas original posting please click here. Anja's recipe caught my eye for more than one reason. I love falafel but I do tire easily of the same standard recipe. The cauliflower and carrot in place of beans in this recipe really hooked my interest so printed it off and then made a batch the next morning. 

The making of Anjas falafel's was very easy..if you have a processor. But it wouldn't take that long to chop down the veggies by hand. Anja's original post makes 6 palm size patties but I used a 1/4 cup measure and had 9 falafel to enjoy. I went with Anjas cooking instructions and pan fried the falafel but after the max cooking time my falafel were very soft. As my oven was already hot from cooking another dish I popped my falafel on to a baking sheet and cooked them off in the oven for 15 minutes. They were still a little soft after extra baking so next time I will definitely add extra almond meal. But after cooling they did firm up a little more. As I still haven't found a good gluten free and yeast free pita bread recipe yet I enjoyed mine in romaine cups with a little grated carrot, chopped radish and cucumber. The falafels were great. I loved the texture, the freshness of the added veggies and the slight hit of heat from the cayenne. I am going to make these often as they kept well in a container in the fridge for me to enjoy for lunch over the busy weekend. Thanks Anja!


Anja's Herbed Cauliflower Carrot Falafels in Romaine Cups

Anja's Herbed Cauliflower Carrot Falafels   Makes 9
(Recipe from anjasfood4thought.com) 

2 tbsp flax meal 
6 tbsp boiling water

1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 small red onion
1 garlic clove
1 cup fresh parsley leaves

1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed 
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt 
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to taste 

1 tbsp sesame seeds 
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds 

1/2 cup almond meal

olive oil for frying (I used sunflower)

In a small bowl combine the flax seed with the boiling water and stir until well combined. Let stand for a few minutes to thicken. 

In a food processor combine cauliflower, carrots, onion, garlic and parsley. Pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Add the lemon juice, cumin, salt and cayenne and pulse again to blend. The mixture should be very finely chopped now. 

Transfer mixture to a bowl. Add flax seed mixture and almond meal and knead until mixture holds together. Add more almond meal if the mixture seems too wet. Add sesame and pumpkin seeds. 

Form patties the size of the palm of your hand. You should get about six. (see notes above) 

Coat a frying pan with olive oil and cook patties over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. (see notes above) 

Serve immediately with a fresh salad and tahini or non-dairy yoghurt dip. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Friday has been a peaceful one...

~Red~ 

NB: This recipe is not mine and therefore I take no credit for it. It is the hard work and creation of Anja at anjasfood4thought.com I thank her for a great recipe. ~R~