Curried Falafel Salad with Tahini Dressing

Falafel meets curry spices? Sign me up.

I've been super busy lately, with moving to a new city and starting a new job; it's been a hot minute since I've last made a salad.

It's also been a hot minute since I've made a post... whoops...

But hey - here's a post and a salad recipe - two birds with one stone (or as PETA says, feeding two birds with one scone).

Just in time for summer, too!

Tahini is one of my favorite dressings. In the days when I was on the MANDYs salad kick, it was my go-to dressing.

For those of you who might not know, tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds and is a staple in many cuisines, especially in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Arguably the most well known way to use tahini is when making hummus.

This dressing is reminiscent of that, and of course, goes SO well with falafel.

I'm also in love with the color of these mini falafels!

Traditional falafels are made with chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). Chickpeas are a great source of plant based protein, fiber, and iron. Beans, especially chickpeas, are a wonderful blank slate for flavors.

To make this a curried version, I ditched a few of the traditional ingredients like cilantro (eww) and parsley and bumped up the flavor with some different curry inspired ingredients:

Curry powder

Turmeric

These ingredients pack so much flavor and take an ordinary falafel recipe to the next level!

Turmeric also has some great properties (shout out to my Indian roots). It's something that you should definitely try to add to your cooking.

• Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

• Curcumin boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF, which increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in your brain.

• Arthritis is a common disorder characterized by joint inflammation. Many studies show that curcumin can help treat symptoms of arthritis and is in some cases more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs.

CURRIED FALAFEL SALAD WITH TAHINI DRESSING

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the falafel

1. 1 Tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)

2. 1 onion diced

3. 2 cloves of garlic, minced

4. 2 cups of canned chickpeas

5. 1 Tbsp lemon juice

6. 1 Tbsp curry powder

7. 1/2 tsp sea salt

8. 1/2 cup chickpea flour

For the dressing

1. 3 Tbsp tahini

2. 2 Tbsp lemon juice

3. 2 Tbsp water

4. 1 Tbsp honey

5. 2 tsp curry powder

6. 1/2 tsp sea salt

7. Pepper to taste

For the salad

1. 4-5 cups of kale, torn and de-stemmed

2. 1 large carrot, grated

3. 1 cucumber, diced

INSTRUCTIONS

Curried Falafel

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

2. In a food processor, pulse onion and garlic until a paste forms. Add chickpeas, lemon juice, curry powder, and salt; pulse until fully combined.

3. Pulse in chickpea flour until fully combined (will look like very thick hummus). Rest for 30 minutes at room temperature (this allows the flour to absorb any excess moisture).

4. Scoop 2 to 3 tablespoon-sized rounds onto parchment, roll into balls. Bake for 25 minutes, until slightly golden.

Dressing

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients.

Kale Salad

1. In a large salad bowl, add 3/4 of the dressing and massage kale until bright green and tender. Add carrots and cucumber. Toss to combine.

When ready to serve, add the salad to bowls, top with the falafel. Pour remaining dressing on top as desired.

Serve and enjoy!

NOTES

Feel free to add any kind of leaf to this salad (I prefer kale)

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