Why the heck is this my first falafel recipe on the blog? I make falafel (falafel? falafels? I don’t know the plural) all the time! I think I’ve made various falafel recipes for other pieces of freelance work, so I just presumed I had one somewhere on the blog. But nope. Truly sorry I’ve let you down. So I’m remedying the situation with this falafel salad bowl from my new Seriously Good Salads book (I’ve also shared my Salmon Sushi Bowl and Chimichurri Steak Salad from the book if you want to check them out).
Filling enough for dinner, this salad bowl consists of baby spinach, topped with 3 falafel, sun blushed tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and shredded beetroot. All topped off with a simple feta dressing. I say simple - that dressing took me a fair bit of testing to get right. I was initially using too much cream with no milk, and had versions of this dressing where the cream basically thickened like a dessert topping upon blitzing. This dressing is a much more pour-able version. If you do want the dressing any thicker, then add more feta to it (not more cream).
Full recipe is in the recipe card below, but here are some step-by-step pics plus a video:
The falafel is made by whizzing up canned chickpeas, along with red onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chilli flakes and flour (regular or gluten free) in a food processor until combined.
Shape the mixture into patties and fry for about 5 minutes, turning once. TIP: Use a spatula and a fork to turn them without squishing them. Then all of the salad items are layered in a bowl - starting with a bed of baby spinach that’s topped with baby cucumber slices, thin slices of red onion, shredded beetroot and juicy sun-blushed tomatoes.
3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese (add more if you want a thicker sauce) - note: check your brand to make sure it’s vegetarian feta if required. 3 tbsp double (heavy) cream 5 tbsp milk 1 tbsp olive oil pinch of salt and pepper
Since it’s quite a small amount of dressing, I use a my Nutribullet smoothie maker for a nice smooth finish. Add the falafel on top and drizzle on the dressing before serving.
The falafel can be eaten hot or cold, so it makes a great lunchbox or picnic lunch too. Here’s a video of the full recipe:
Want to see some more recipes pics from the book?
Fried egg breakfast salad with toasted croutons:
Winter Noodle Salad with Miso Dressing:
Sushi Salad Bowl:
Buttermilk Chicken Cobb Salad:
Garlic Herb and New Potato Salad - with a buttery warm dressing:
You’ll find these recipes plus loads more (75 recipes altogether with 70+ of them NOT on the blog) all with their own photo in my new Seriously Good Salads book.
The Falafel Salad Bowl with Creamy Feta Dip Recipe:
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