Paleo Falafel Recipe
This Paleo Falafel Recipe is not your typical falafel recipe. Typically falafel is made with chickpeas but to keep this recipe paleo I used purple cabbage instead.
How this Recipe came to be…
I’m not one to share stories before my recipe posts but I just have to share with you how this recipe came to be. My sister is a cook at a local restaurant and texted me one day about whether or not I wanted some free purple cabbage.
The broke food blogging college student in me said, “Yes! I’ll take whatever you can get your hands on”. Little did I know that she was going to bring me 10+ heads of cabbage.
Now I like cabbage. If you know me, you know that I am ALL about eating and meal-prepping coleslaw weekly. However, I am a reasonable cabbage and salad lover. Meaning, what the GLUTEN was I going to do with 10 heads of cabbage? Certainly not make and eat pounds of coleslaw and salad. After all, I want to maintain my ever-dying affinity for them.
So I got creative. (I also tried to pawn these suckers off to everyone I knew but my efforts were futile. Why does no one around me like cabbage as much as me?!) After many failed recipes, I developed this magically delicious paleo falafel recipe.
Let’s Talk Paleo Falafel Ingredients
While “Paleo Falafel Recipe” might not imply it, this recipe is a part of my prebiotic recipe series! Meaning I made this recipe with the intention of maximizing the prebiotic potential of purple cabbage paleo falafel. But in fairness to the title of this recipe, I’ll talk about how this paleo falafel recipe meets both the standards of the paleo diet and for being a prebiotic-packed dish.
The Cabbage
Cabbage is low-carb, paleo, and prebiotic. It’d basically everything anyone could ever want, making it the perfect base for this recipe. Not to mention it’s cheap. We’re talking $1.49 a head of cabbage.
The Tahini
Tahini is paleo as it’s a made from sunflower seeds, which aren’t legumes. It adds a nutty flavor and works with the coconut flour to act as a binder for all of the ingredients.
If you don’t have tahini or would rather substitute 2 eggs for tahini, you can do that. This will make the recipe not vegan-friendly but it will make it more affordable.
The Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is prebiotic, paleo friendly, and gluten-free. It’s used in this recipe in conjunction with tahini to act as a binder for the ingredients in this Paleo Falafel recipe. You may also substitute almond flour (affiliate link) or chickpea flour (affiliate link) for coconut flour. Both of which have either potential or proven prebiotic impacts. However, chickpea flour (affiliate link) would make this recipe not paleo-friendly.
The Spices/Seasonings
All of the spices and herbs in this recipe are paleo-friendly. The garlic cloves and fresh parsley are also prebiotic. Meaning they add even more prebiotic potential to this recipe. You might also consider adding fresh minced ginger root or turmeric root to this recipe for added health benefits and prebiotic potential.
Paleo Falafel Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups cabbage shredded
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup coconut flour (or almond flour or chickpea flour)
- 1 bunch parsley (washed and roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
- Add ingredients to a food processor and pulse until well-combined but not smooth (this may take a few pulses, be sure to scrape down the sides if needed)
- Place paleo falafel dough in the fridge to firm up a bit (if needed)
- Roll falafel mixture into balls and place on a parchment paper lined pan
- Brush the Falafel balls with avocado oil (or oil of choice)
- Bake falafel for 30-35 minutes until the edges have browned (if you used purple cabbage, they’ll go from a purple hue to more of an orangeish hue)
- Let cool and enjoy!