Favourite food- Falafels, hummus and bulgar wheat salad #BettaRecipe

If you follow me on Instagram, you might know my absolute favourite treat is anything with falafels.
After a friend introduced me to the fantastic veggie delight in Amsterdam, too many years ago, I have been after the perfect recipe.
Having tried shop bought and packet mix I haven't been convinced.
And then, I was told I could bake them! My attempts at plunging into oil were over.

I decided to replicate my favorite-ist ever M&S ready-salad and not only make baked falafels but also make everything to taste- which in my case, avoids in hints of 'tangy' and 'spicy'.
And it was, quite honestly, lush.

Starting with the falafels

Ingredients
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
300g chickpeas
2tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch of black pepper
2 tsp mixed herbs
1 pinch of salt
1 lemon (zest)
1 egg

What we did
Preheat the over to 200C.
We finely chopped the onion and garlic and softened in a pan with oil for 3 minutes.
We then drained the chickpeas and put into a food processor (I would think a pestle and mortar or masher would do the same). We added the onion and garlic and blitzed then into a coarse mix.
We added the cumin, herbs, lemon zest, and added a blitz.
For good measure (because Gordon Ramsay always insists on seasoning) I add a pinch of salt and pepper, and give one more blitz.
If your food processor does not allow (ours is deep and narrow), put contents into a bowl.
Beat the egg gently and add to the mix, incorporate the egg to create a sticky mix.
Divide the mixture into balls on a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Bake for 20-25mins or until golden brown.

Onto the Hummus
Ingredients
300g chickpeas
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon (juice, if making with falafels, if not include the zest as well)
2 tbsp fat free greek yoghurt
1 pinch of cumin
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of ground pepper.

What we did:
Throw everything in a food processor and mix.

And then, we included Bulgar Wheat (with a bit of chopped mint to fend off the garlic) and a salad.

Absolutely delicious!
(And I think, also quite nutritious.)

Disclosure: This post is my entry into the Betta Living Vegetarian Competition, in partnership with Tots100