This Recipe is part of the 5 No-Cook Dishes Raw Food at Home Menu
I absolutely love Middle Eastern food. Ron Biton, a veteran in our kitchen who contributed this recipe, was born in Israel, where falafel is the national dish. As soon as I tried this version, I knew it had to go on the takeaway menu in the juice bar.
Equipment
Food processor, dehydrator, high-speed blender
Ingredients
Tabouleh
6 cups chopped cauliflower florets (from 1 very large head or 2 small heads)
3 cups peeled, seeded, and finely diced cucumber
3 cups chopped parsley
3 cups seeded, diced tomato
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions (the white part and about 3 inches of green from 1 bunch)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Falafel
2 medium carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
2 medium portobello mushroom caps, diced
1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup pistachios
3/4 cup almonds
3/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 30 minutes or more
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Tahini Sauce
1 cup tahini
1 cup filtered water
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
Hot Sauce
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 small shallot, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
To Serve
2 to 3 romaine hearts, leaves separated
Directions
1. Tabouleh: Place the cauliflower in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and toss well.
2. To make falafel, in a medium bowl, combine the carrots, portobello mushrooms, onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and toss to coat evenly. Spread the mixture on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 1 hour.
3. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse until ground into small pieces. Place this mixture in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
4. Place the pistachios, almonds, and the sunflower seeds in the food processor and grind to a crumbly texture.
5. Add the nut crumbs to the vegetable mixture along with the parsley, cumin, and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Form the mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter. You should end up with about 48 falafel balls.
7. In a small bowl, mix together the ground flaxseed and sesame seeds. Roll each falafel ball in this mixture to coat evenly.
8. Before serving, place the falafel balls on a mesh-lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 2 hours or more.
9. Tahini Sauce: In a mixing bowl, whisk all the ingredients until well combined and smooth.
10. Hot Sauce: In a small bowl, toss the red pepper in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and coat well. Spread the pepper onto a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 1 hour or until softened. Transfer the pepper to a high-speed blender with all the remaining ingredients. Blend until completely smooth.
11. To Serve: Divide the romaine leaves among serving plates. Spoon the tabouleh over the romaine and top with the falafel. Drizzle the tahini generously over the falafel and add a touch of hot sauce to each.
Serves 6 to 8
Excerpted from Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis. Copyright © 2009 by 77 Lucky Cows, Inc. Excerpted by permission of HarperCollins. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book now.