SUMMER VIBES QUINOA FALAFELS

Summer is finally “officially” here! Although for me, in Bakersfield with our cool 110 degree weather, summer’s been here for quite a few weeks now. This recipe is the ultimate summer dish, simple to make (leaving enough time to enough the summer day) and super refreshing. These quinoa falafels come to me out of necessity to pack as much protein as possible into my meals. Growing up with two brothers, meat (and lots of it) was necessary at every meal. I grew up accustomed to the norm of large amounts of protein with every meal, finding my body needing meat and excessive protein with every meal. With these falafels, the absence of meat is hardly noticed with so much flavor and protein.

With this ultimate summer recipe, I paired the ultimate summer artists with the ultimate summer vibes playlist. The Australian duo of Flight Facilities was seemingly born to provide our ears with summer tunes. From cooler beats like Foreign Language  & With You to match the summer breeze to warmer tunes like their remix of Paul Simon’s You Can Call me Al to match the golden sun rays. These beats go perfectly with the warm falafels topped with cool yogurt sauce and bright pomegranates.  The next set of songs from Cherokee with their funky, French house disco-like beats is the epitome of a summer anthem playlist, whether for cooking up a summer storm or for driving down the 101, enjoying the summer sun. 

Beats:

Materials:

Yogurt sauce:

¼  cup greek yogurt

¼ cup shredded cucumber

juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

Falafels:

1 cup cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa from Trader Joe’s)

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 egg

1 large clove of garlic minced

1 ½ teaspoon cumin

4 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons water

*Pomegranate seeds and mint for garnish

Methods:

1.     For yogurt sauce: mix all ingredients together in bowl & refrigerate until ready to serve.

2.     Cook quinoa according to instructions on package & allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.

3.     Mash black beans using the back of a fork until about half the beans are mashed and half are still whole.

4.     Mix black bean mash, quinoa and the rest of the falafels ingredients together using hands.

5.     Roll falafel mix into small golf balls then flatten slightly.

6.     In a pan, heat up about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and lightly fry the falafels until each side is a golden brown.

Extra Bits:

-Falafels can be served as an appetizer with yogurt dip, on a salad with yogurt sauce as a dressing, in a pita sandwich, in a lettuce wrap, the possibilities are endless!

-This recipe makes almost 15 falafels. These are great to freeze after they have been fried and can easily be rewarmed in the oven!