Alexandra Daum from Occasionally Eggs graciously offered this recipe for us to share. We love it because it's delicious, loaded with greens, and has a good kick of spice for a refreshing take on falafel - using soaked red lentils versus chickpeas.
Ingredients
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- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 cups packed leafy greens (kale, rainbow chard...)
- 1 small yellow onion, quartered
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of one lemon (~3 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pepper for seasoning
Steps
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1.
Soak the red lentils overnight in enough cool water to cover. Alternatively, soak lentils in very hot water for at least 1 hour. Once ready for cooking, drain the soaked lentils in a fine sieve and rinse well.
2.
Add the greens, onion, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until finely chopped (~1 min).
3.
Add the soaked lentils, eggs, chickpea flour, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, cumin, cayenne pepper and several grinds of pepper to the green mixture in the food processor. Blend again, until you have a loose paste with very few visible lentils (~2 min).
4.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan. Use a ladle or large spoon to drop the patty mixture into the hot pan (like a pancake mixture). Cook for 1-2 minutes on the first side, until browned, then flip and cook the second side for another 2 minutes.
Repeat until all the mixture has been cooked. The pan should be sufficiently hot for cooking, otherwise the patties won't keep their shape. Add oil to the pan as needed.
Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days in a sealed contained in the refrigerator or in then freezer for up to 1 month.
