Beetroot Falafel (Vegan)

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If you love falafel, you must try this beautifully pink version! Our Vegan Beetroot Falafel has a deeper earthier flavour and incredibly vibrant colour, making these so inviting to just dig in! What is more, these beet patties have a wonderfully crisp exterior, thanks to a cornmeal coating! Baked, or fried this is a delicious falafel to try stuffed into pitta bread or as a snack with some dip!

Looking for a more traditional falafel recipe? Try our Lebanese Falafel With Tahini!

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Health Benefits of Beetroot

Whilst research on the health benefits of beetroot is ongoing, there are many advantages to your physical well-being that beetroot is linked to. This beautiful root vegetable boasts high folate (B9) content which does a brilliant job of increasing your blood's levels of haemoglobin. Beets are also a great source of Vitamin C and iron.

According to BBC Good Food, beetroot may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, as well as improve digestive health and lower blood pressure. So if you want to incorporate more of this goodness into your diet, consider cooking some Beetroot Pasta, Beetroot Salad and Cold Lithuanian Beetroot Soup! And you must try our Beet Dip with Feta for your next gathering - it's amazing!

Falafel Ingredients and Substitutes

To make 12 small beetroot and chickpea falafel patties, you will need the following:

• 1 tin of chickpeas: 400g tin will give you 240g drained weight of chickpeas. You may cook dried chickpeas, but we think tinned chickpeas do an excellent job here. 
• 400 g cooked beetroot: you can use boiled or roasted beetroot (more details below).
• 1 brown onion: can be substituted with shallots, white or red onion. Make sure to chop it very finely, as it goes into the falafel mixture raw, and you want the pieces small to cook and soften in time.
• 2 garlic cloves: or a large teaspoon of garlic paste.
• spices: 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp chilli powder.
• 5 g fresh parsley: can be replaced with coriander, chives, tarragon or fresh thyme leaves.
• 100 g cornmeal (fine polenta): use fine cornmeal for best results. Coarse cornmeal (polenta) will have a crust that's too hard and unpleasant to eat.
• oil: only needed if you choose to fry your falafel.

How To Prepare Beetroot If You Have Raw Beets?

If you have raw beets and would like to cook them for this recipe yourself, you have a couple of options. Make sure to trim the root and greens off of the beetroot (but not too much, or the colour will bleed out), then wash the beets gently, not tearing the skin. When your fresh beets are prepped like this, you can

1. Boil them. Place them in a pan of water, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer your beets until tender: around 30-40 minutes depending on their size.
2. Steam them in a vegetable steamer, or covered, over a pan of simmering water. It will take a little longer than boiling.
3. Roast. Wrap individual beets in aluminium foil and roast them at 200°C for 45-60 minutes, depending on their size, until tender.

Once your beetroot is cooked, let them cool down until you can handle them without burning your hands. Peel them (the skin should peel off really easily if the beetroot is well-cooked) and use them in recipes.

Method

If making baked falafel: Preheat oven to 180°C Fan and line a large baking tray with baking parchment paper (we use and recommend Bacofoil Non-Stick Baking Paper).

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Drain the chickpeas in a colander and run some cold water to remove extra starch and sodium. Pat the chickpeas and beetroot with a piece of paper towel to dry them.

Add the chickpeas to a bowl of a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste (leave plenty of texture in it though). Scrape the chickpeas into a large bowl.

Place the beetroot chunks into the same food processor (no need to clean in between steps) and blitz it into a rough paste, similar to chickpeas). Add it to the chickpea bowl.

Then add finely chopped onion, garlic, parsley, spices and a generous pinch of salt and pepper and mix well.

Take a small handful of the falafel mixture and shape 12 small tight patties of falafel. They should be about the size of a golf ball. 

Roll each patty in cornmeal (polenta) and place on a baking sheet (or a chopping board if you want to fry them). It helps if you place the falafels in the fridge for a couple of hours before frying or baking them, as they have time to firm up. 

If baking: Place the falafel balls in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, turning halfway through (be gentle as they will be fragile).

If frying: heat odourless oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. You need just enough oil to cover the falafels halfway up the sides. Fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown, flipping them carefully. Place the cooked falafels on a sheet of paper towel to absorb excess oil.

For serving suggestions, see the 'What To Serve With Falafel?' section in the text above.

What To Serve Beet Falafel With?

Here are some of the ways to best enjoy beetroot falafel:

• In flatbreads (like pita bread or naan flatbread) with some crunchy veggies (like red pepper and slices of cucumber) and hummus, yoghurt and tahini.
• With a Middle East-style couscous salad and shatta (hot sauce).
• On their own as a snack, with mayo or yoghurt-based dip, like coriander mayo or Harissa yogurt sauce. Tahini sauce goes very well with this beetroot falafel recipe as well.
• Mash any leftover falafel, mix with mayonnaise and fresh herbs and use it as a delicious sandwich filling.
• Beet falafels make a beautiful topping for a range of grain bowls. 
• With some fresh and crunchy salad, like Persian Shirazi Salad or Courgette Ribbons.

How To Store and Reheat Falafel?

To store any leftover beet falafel, cool it down to temperature. Line an airtight container with a piece of paper towel, place the patties on top and cover it with a lid. Falafel will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Note though that the longer you store them, the dryer they'll get, so you may need some extra sauce to serve them with after 4 days.

To reheat the falafel, we recommend preheating the oven to 180°C and arranging the falafel on a baking tray. Cook the falafel for 5-6 minutes, or until hot. If you prefer moister falafel, use a baking tray with high rims and cover the top with foil before reheating.

Other Vegan Lunch Recipes To Try

We love flavoursome vegan food here at Somebody Feed Seb. Why not try some of the below for your next great light lunch?

• Coronation Chickpea Sandwich (Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich)
• Veggie Quinoa Bowl with Avocado Dressing
• Tofu & Pineapple Skewers

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