Falafels with Grilled Flatbread & Tahini Sauce

I like to fit in at least one meatless dinner each week. My usual go to is black bean burgers with a spicy slaw, they are really easy to make, and I can prepare everything in the morning in under an hour. This makes for a really easy dinner after a long day at work. But having the same vegetarian meal every week can get a little boring. With summer coming to an end, I was craving something with fresh vibrant flavors. So, since I had the day off, I decided to give falafels a try. I wanted to recreate one of my favorite dishes at a restaurant here in Phoenix, a falafel pita. They fill a pita with greens, falafels, and pickles and top it off with a house made tahini sauce. It’s a fresh, light, and vegetarian alternative to the traditional gyro. 

This recipe is pretty time-consuming, but well worth it! As with making any type of bread, you have to let this dough sit and double in size before grilling it. The falafels however, are quick and easy, along with the tahini sauce. The fresh flavors of the herbs and lemon paired with the flatbread made for the perfect end of summer meal.

 

FALAFELS WITH GRILLED FLATBREAD & TAHINI SAUCE | 4 SERVINGS
recipes adapted from FOOD52 falafels & grilled flatbread

|Ingredients|

FLATBREAD
1 c. warm water ( not hot, if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast)
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
olive oil and salt for  before & after grilling 

FALAFELS
1 can of chickpeas
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of flour
shredded romaine lettuce for serving
thinly sliced red onion for serving

TAHINI SAUCE
1/4 c. tahini
juice of half a lemon
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (depending on desired consistency)
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
optional: 1/2-1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce (depending on how hot you’d like it)

Start by making the flatbread. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the dough hook attachment, add the cup of warm water and the sugar. Mix for a few seconds until combined. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and sugar mixture and let sit for 5 minutes. Add one cup of the flour and mix on a low setting, scrapping the sides if necessary. Once combined, add the next cup of flour and repeat, and again with 1/4 of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Before adding the last 1/4 cup of flour, check to see if your dough is tacky, you want it to stretch when you touch it, leaving a little bit of dough on your hand. If the dough is sticky, slowly add the additional 1/4 cup until you get a tacky consistency (I used about half of the  remaining 1/4). On a medium speed, knead the dough for 5-7 minutes in the stand mixer. Remove the dough from the hook, roll into a ball, and put back in the bowl of the stand mixer. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. (This is a good time to get the falafels prepared, you can cover and leave them in the fridge for 2-4 hours) 

Grease two baking sheets with olive oil and set aside. Divide the dough into four pieces and form each piece into rounds. I found it easiest to roll each of the pieces on the greased baking sheet and form the rounds right on the baking sheet, the olive oil helps the dough not stick. Add more olive oil if needed. Let the flattened dough sit for 5-10 minutes while you heat the grill. Set one side of the grill to high heat and the other to medium heat. Place the dough on the high heat side for 1-2 minutes, or until grill marks are present. Flip and repeat on the other side, then place on the medium heat side for about three minutes, or until cooked through. Grill in batches if necessary. Once the flatbread is finished, remove from the grill and drizzle with olive oil and salt, and set aside.

For the falafels, start by preheating your oven to 375° F. Next, drain and rinse one can of chickpeas, and add to a food processor or blender with the juice of one lemon. Blend until a paste forms. Remove the chickpea paste and place in a medium-sized bowl with the red onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt, and flour, and mix until well combined. Form the mixture into 12 equal sized balls (mine made 11), slightly flatten the top of the falafels and place on a baking sheet greased with olive oil (if you are going to refrigerate the falafels before cooking them, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap). Bake for 13-15 minutes, then remove the falafels from the oven, flip over and cook for another 13-15 minutes, until the falafels are golden brown.

To make the tahini sauce, add the tahini and the juice of half a lemon to a small bowl and whisk until a paste forms. Add the olive oil, garlic, pinch of red pepper flakes, and hot sauce if using, and whisk again until combined. If you would like a thinner consistency, you can add more olive oil or a teaspoon of water. Season with salt and pepper.

Once everything is made, these are really easy to put together. On each piece of flatbread, add a large handful of the shredded romaine. Top the romaine with three falafels and some of the thinly sliced red onion, drizzle with the tahini sauce, and serve!