If your hands aren’t dirty in the process of making falafels, you’re doing it wrong.

I’m coming up to my three year blogiversary this weekend which is unbelievable. I started this blog to showcase a bit of my cooking and use it as a portfolio piece for work, but it has ended up being so much more than that. It makes me plan meals in advance, it’s helped me become a part of an online community I would have missed out on otherwise, and it’s taught me a lot in terms of writing and photography.

I lightly adapted this recipe from Canadian Living’s The Vegetarian Collection which is by far my favourite veg-focused cookbook to date. Every recipe is a knockout, the photos are awesome, and it’s under $25.

I was out of lemon juice so I used the liquid from pickled jalapenos instead for a bit of a kick in flavour and spice. The photos themselves are a bit less-than-par because I ran out of time. The original photo was supposed to have all the fresh herbs, sliced radish, yada yada…it didn’t happen. But I promise you the final result is amazing and you can reheat them for days afterwards!

Ingredients

Makes roughly 24 pieces

• 2 (19oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup white onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsely, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. juice from pickled jalapenos OR freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• Grapeseed oil for frying
• Pitas of your choice
• Recommended garnish: fresh parsley, sliced radish, tahini, hot sauce, arugula

Method

In the bowl of a food processor, chop chickpeas, onion, parsley and garlic for about 30 seconds. Add flour, cumin, baking powder, jalapeno juice and salt; pulse until blended for 10 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Shape by taking 1 tablespoon and rolling into even balls, placing them on the wax-lined tray. Once completed, let refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours to let the flavours develop and for the texture to firm up for frying.

Pour enough oil into a deep frying pan to cover 2 inches and heat to 350 degrees F. If you don’t have a frying thermometer, drop a small amount of the falafel batter in to see if it begins sizzling quickly. If it doesn’t the oil isn’t ready. Fry in batches, letting each one reach a golden brown; about 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel-lined tray and serve stuffed into pitas, sandwiches, and your face.