Sweet Potato Falafel Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

This recipe has a few pieces to it, but don’t get overwhelmed.  It is pretty easy, and it is super delicious!  Start to finish plan for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  To make it easier the night of, you can start with making the crispy chickpeas.  You can do this ahead of time also, they keep well in the refrigerator for up to 7 days!  Then make your falafel.  Last, assemble your salads.

This salad is vegetarian and gluten-free–now that is hard to do!  It is an excellent source of fiber and protein.  It is often hard to get enough protein in v I first saw this recipe here https://www.ediblenm.com/, but as usual I have modified it for my family and our preferences!

Makes 4 servings

For crispy chickpeas:

1-15 oz Can chickpeas, drained

½ Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp curry powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp red chile powder

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.  Pour chickpeas over baking sheet.  Mix spices together in a small bowl.  Drizzle chickpeas with oil and spices.  Mix well on baking sheet with hands.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until chickpeas are crispy.  While these are baking, prepare falafel and salad bowls.

For Sweet Potato Falafel:

2 Medium sweet potatoes, peeled then steamed or roasted

1-15 oz Can chickpeas, rinsed

½ cup Fresh parsley, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Ground cumin

2 tsp. Ground coriander

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Black Pepper

1 ½ Tbsp Olive Oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse until well blended, but not mushy (about 6 pulses).  Take mixture and form into balls and place on a greased baking sheet.  Will make about 12 falafels.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes.  Falafel should have a crispy outside.

***This recipe works best to prepare the crispy chickpeas ahead of time, but you can also bake them together with the falafel.

For Salad:

8 cups of spinach, kale, or spring mix

½ cup Feta cheese crumbles

8 Tbsp Hummus (about 4 oz)

4 Tbsp Tahini dressing

To assemble salad:

1. Place 2 cups of spinach, kale, or spring mix in each bowl.
2. Top salad mix with 2 Tbsp feta cheese for each bowl, 2 Tbsp Hummus for each bowl, and 1 Tbsp Tahini dressing.
3. When Falafel is finished baking, add 3 falafels to each bowl.
4. Add crispy chickpeas to each bowl.
5. Enjoy!!!

Note: photo shows this salad served with Naan.  You can absolutely do this and it is so good!  The naan is not gluten free nor is it included in the Calorie info.

Nutrition Information per serving:

478 Calories, 21 g Total Fat, 51 g Total Carb, 12 g Dietary Fiber, 17 g Protein