Crumbled Falafel Bowls

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in water for 12 to 24 hours*

half of a large white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

zest of 1 lemon (we’ll use the juice for the veggies below)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

half of an English cucumber, diced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon ground sumac

pinch of fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

4 cups cooked rice

tahini sauce for drizzling

toppings: feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, lemon wedges, extra fresh parsley or cilantro

Directions

Prepare the rice and tahini sauce

Cook the rice according to package instructions and prepare the tahini sauce.

Prepare the sumac veggies

Toss all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Blend the falafel mix

Drain and thoroughly dry the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, cumin, salt, coriander, garlic and lemon zest to a food processor. Pulse briefly 5-10 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Don’t overdo it or the mixture will turn into a paste.)

Sauté the falafel mix

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the falafel mix in an even layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the bottom of the mix reaches a golden brown color. Then give the mix a good stir, spread it out evenly in the pan, and cook again until the bottom of the mix reaches a golden brown color. Repeat this process 3 or 4 more times until the mix is toasted to your liking.

Serve. Layer up serving bowls with rice, falafel mix, sumac veggies, and any other toppings you would like. Drizzle with tahini sauce, add a few twists of black pepper or a sprinkle of sumac, serve and enjoy!