Sweet Potato Falafel
This recipe for sweet potato falafel is a win-win situation. Sweet potatoes are not only reasonably priced and readily available, but they also have a more interesting flavor than the white potato and are good for you. Falafel is a Middle Eastern food that's made of highly spiced ground chickpeas that are formed into balls or slightly flattened croquettes and deep-fried. This recipe combines ground chickpeas with mashed sweet potatoes for extra flavor and the falafel are baked instead of fried for a lighter calorie load. Typically, falafel ​is tucked into a sliced pita to be eaten sandwich-style, but they also can be eaten as an appetizer with garlic yogurt sauce, toum, and tahini sauce. Or serve them warm with a thin slice of cucumber on top, held together with a toothpick.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1 large yellow onion (finely diced)
- 2 tablespoons garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Sesame seeds
Directions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Heat oven to 425 F.
- Bake sweet potatoes for one hour or until they can be pierced easily with a fork. Alternatively, you can microwave the sweet potatoes (usually 20 minutes for two large sweet potatoes, depending on your microwave). Allow sweet potatoes to cool completely. Once cooled, peel off skins and discard.
- Place cooled sweet potatoes in a large bowl and mash with a fork. Add flour, chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, lemon juice, and salt. Continue to mash with a fork until well combined and smooth in consistency. Alternatively, pulse all of the ingredients in a food processor for quick mashing.
- Using your hands, a melon baller, cookie scoop, or tablespoon, form mixture into small balls and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the desired amount of sesame seeds. Chill falafel balls in the refrigerator about 45 minutes.
- Heat oven to 375 F. Remove the chilled falafel balls from the refrigerator and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- If you choose to flatten the balls with a fork for a small falafel patty, bake them for about 8 to 10 minutes.