Falafel

Hello all - two posts in two days? Crazy talk... However, I've been cooking again, so here we go - some Daniel Fast friendly (90% sure anyway...) falafels.

Dinner was just another pile of vegetables cooked in a tomatoey sauce again, but thought I'd make something that I could eat at work tomorrow. Make a change from the last two days...

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You will need:

- 250g dried chickpeas

- 1tsp chilli powder

- 1tsp ground coriander

- 2tsp dried parsley

- 4tbsp (level) wholegrain flour (I used buckwheat) + more to coat

- Salt and pepper to season

You'll need to soak the chickpeas for a couple of hours before draining them, and then boiling them in fresh water. If not on a Daniel Fast, it's fine to use a can - for the fast though, it's hard to find a can where the chickpeas aren't swimming in a chemical preservative.

Boil the chickpeas for about five minutes and then leave to simmer for a further 45 minutes or so - until tender.

In a bowl, mix all the spices, flour and seasonings together while the chickpeas are cooking. Prepare another bowl, filling it about a quarter full with the wholegrain flour.

Once the chickpeas are cooked, drain them and leave to cool for a few minutes until they've stopped steaming. Once this is done, add the chickpeas to the bowl with the spices and mash them with a fork, potato masher, or your hands. Or all three...

Once the mixture is thoroughly mashed, and you have a doughy consistency, shape the mixture into little balls (about golf ball size is fine) before rolling them in the excess flour to coat them thoroughly. This will help to give a crispy coating and keep the falafel together as it cooks.

Traditionally, falafel is deep fried, however, deep frying is also banned during a Daniel Fast, so instead shallow fry your falafel in a little oil, rolling them as one section cooks. Once the ball is completely golden brown, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and rest on some kitchen roll to absorb any excess oil.

Lunch. Sorted.

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Coming up:

- Probably some other vegetable based delight...