Falafel With A Green Twist

Hello readers! It's been almost a month since I last posted. As you can tell, I've been pretty busy! I started the spring semester in late january and my yoga teacher training is almost done (although, I still have a lot of work to do, including a yoga practical and teaching a class on my own!). This semester is jam-packed for me because I decided to double-up on credits, so I'm actually taking double the amount of graduate courses I'm expected to…whoops! Since this blog isn't about my academic career, I'll switch gears now and talk about the delicious recipes I've been cooking up. Having limited time has actually made me become a little more creative when it comes to cooking, which is good, because as any busy vegan can tell you, microwaved veggie burgers can get awfully boring after a while.

Falafel has been a favorite food of mine, and it's my go-to order at any middle-eastern restaurant. I decided to create my own healthier version of falafel, with added collard greens into the mixture. This recipe is tasty, easy, and not too labor intensive, so have fun and enjoy!

Ingredients (makes about 9 falafel balls/patties)

• 1 fifteen oz. can of chickpeas
• 3 large collard leaves, stems removed
• 3 tsp. cumin
• ¼ tsp. ground pepper
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ cup whole wheat flour or other whole-grain flour
• 3 tbsp. oil (for the pan)

Directions

• Combine chickpeas, collard greens, spices, and flour in a food processor and process until you have a uniform mixture (about a minute or two of total food processing time). If you don't have a food processor, you can try using a blender but the food processor is your best bet for this recipe.
• Pour oil into the pan
• Spoon out chickpea mixture into ball shapes and onto the pan and cook on medium heat
• Allow each chickpea ball to lightly brown and then flip on each side
• If you find that the chickpea balls aren't cooking all the way through, feel free to flatten them a bit to create more of a "patty" than a ball. Don't worry, it will still taste just as good!
• After cooking, allow to cool, and then enjoy in a wrap, pita, or with a generous helping of hummus (or your favorite dip!)

-Jess