The first time I made these lentil falafels I needed something nourishing, a lot of it, quick as possible! I love about them that the simple ingredients are always around, and there is no time-consuming oil-frying involved. These patties have proved themselves absolutely delicious fresh from the oven with some strawberry chia chutney, and in our lunchboxes during a nice trip to the woods last weekend.
I’d like to put on some weight – that is not so easy with a toddler around. So I decided to always have something nourishing ready to eat at the counter. These lentil falafels are rich in carbs, protein, minerals and fibers, so hearty and comforting. I love to grab a bite whenever I have some spare minutes in the kitchen.
I added some lemon juice and zest for flavor and for the fact that lentils are rich in iron, while vitamin C (lemon juice) enhances iron absorption. You might think that vitamin C is heat-sensitive, so the lemon juice doesn’t count. Actually, in natural matrices (e.g. lentil falafel) there are lots of natural antioxidants present to protect vitamin C from the heat.
Why lentil falafels?
Lately, I’m into veggie burgers and patties a lot. It was time to play around a little with lentils as they are so cheap and versatile. Lots and lots of cumin turned these lentil patties into falafels. Beside the fact that I am a cumin addict, this spice also makes lentils go easy on our digestion: even my 1.5 year old could have some without any tummy problems.
- 200g or 1 cup of lentils
- 150g or 1+ ¼ cup of buckwheat flour
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 3 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of ground paprika
- juice and zest of ½ organic lemon
- 3 tablespoons of psyllium husk
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon of smoked salt
- 1 teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt
- approx. 50g or ½ cup cornmeal*
- oil spray (olive oil)
- Rinse and soak lentils overnight. Cook until smashy and let to cool.
- Put all ingredients, except cornmeal into a food processor and mix until smooth. Let it sit for approx. 30 minutes so the psyllium husk can soak up all extra moisture and the mixture won't stick to your hands.
- Take tablespoonfuls of the mixture, roll into a ball, roll in cornameal and put on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Drizzle over with some oil spray.
- Bake at 180 C / 360 F in a convection oven for 10 minutes, switch to grill for another 5 minutes. Take out baking tray, flip over lentil falafels and grill for another 5 minutes to get a nice golden, crumbly texture.
This recipe was shared at Gluten Free Fridays.
Definitely going to give these a try. I love falafels… and buckwheat flour. 🙂
Buckwheat is high on my list, too. 🙂 These falafels are an easy success. 🙂
I love these, both lentils and buckwheat, bug favourites. BUT yin have them to out in weight, oh that is what I am trying not to do. Could you please give me a calorie rundown in these. I think I’d like to know if this is a help yourself or go steady one.
You can find nutritional info at the end of the recipe: 38 kcal/falafel.