Veggievangelist: Edamame Falafel

Edamame falafel is one of my favorite things to have on hand for lunch. I make a double batch, and store them in the freezer. I thaw a few at a time, and they're easy to put in a pita for a quick lunch.

I got this recipe out of an issue of KIWI Magazine while waiting at the pediatric dentist's office. I scribbled the ingredients onto the subscription blow-in. It's a wonder I could translate what I wrote down that day, but here it is.

Edamame Falafel

Adapted from KIWI Magazine

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Oven Temperature: 425 degrees

1 cup shelled edamame, cooked

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 small red onion, quartered

1/2 cup walnut pieces

2 Tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)

1 clove garlic

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. cumin

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. water (optional)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

1/2 head red cabbage, chopped

4 whole wheat pitas

In the bowl of a food processor, put the edamame, carrots, onion, walnuts, tahini, garlic, lime juice, cumin and salt. Pulse a few times to get started, and then turn on. Puree to a fine paste. If it's too thick, stop the processor and add 1 tsp. of water and use a spatula to bring the mixture off the sides. Turn off food processor.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. The parchment helps the falafels from getting too brown during the baking.

Remove the bowl and take enough of the paste in between your palms to roll a ball about the size of a golf ball. Repeat with all of the paste, until you have approximately 12 balls of falafel. Place them on the baking sheet, close, but not touching.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, flip the falafel balls over, and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow falafel balls to cool.

To serve, cut open the top of the pita breads and fill with chopped red cabbage, red or orange bell peppers and chopped cucumbers. Put two or three falafel balls in each sandwich.