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Vegan Quinoa Tabouli & Baked Falafels with Tahini Sauce

Print Recipe
For a light meal, serve the tabouli salad and falafels over a bed of lettuce with some fresh olives on the side. For a heartier meal, accompany with hummus and pita bread or gluten-free crackers, grilled summer vegetables, and even a salmon dish.
Prep Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Quinoa Tabouli

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
  • 1-2 cloves fresh crushed garlic
  • 3 tbsp finely minced red onion
  • 1 tbsp fresh copped or 1 tsp. dried peppermint leaf
  • 1/4 virgin olive oil
  • fresh black pepper
  • 2 medium tomatoes diced
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 cup freshly chopped parsley

For the Baked Falafels

  • approximately 4 cups cooked chickpeas 2 BPA-free cans or 2 cups dried chickpeas soaked and then cooked
  • 3 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1/2 cup each of scallions and celery finely minced
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 3 tbsp tahini
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp tumeric
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • dash of black pepper

For the Tahini Sauce

  • 1 cup tahini
  • 1 clove crushed garlic
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • salt to taste
  • dash or two of cayenne pepper

Instructions

For the Quinoa Tabouli

  • Rinse quinoa for 2 minutes and combine in a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to lowest setting and cook covered for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for 5 more minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
  • Combine lemon juice, garlic, oil, and mint, and mix thoroughly. Add onion, tomato, and cucumber.
  • After it has cooled a bit, add seasonings/veggies to quinoa. You can put the bowl in the fridge if you want it to cool thoroughly while you make the falafel .

For the Baked Falafels

  • Mash the chickpeas well and combine with all of the other ingredients. I commonly use a food processor to get a thorough mix, but you can do this by hand.
  • Chill well in the fridge – about 30 minutes
  • Preheat oven on Bake to 400 degrees
  • With lightly damp hands, form the batter into one-inch diameter balls and place onto a well-oiled baking sheet.
  • Bake for around 30 minutes – the balls should look well-formed and slightly brown on top. Don't worry: they will firm up more once they come out of the oven and cool.

For the Tahini Sauce

  • Combine all ingredients and beat well with a whisk, or combine into a blender and it do its thing. Add several TBSP water while blending or whisking if you like a thinner sauce.

Notes

For the Quinoa Tabouli - Serves 4 as a side dish.
For the Baked Falafels - Serves 4 with leftovers.