SUPER GREEN BROAD BEAN FALAFEL

Super Green Broad Bean Falafel

Fresh or frozen broad beans or peas can be used for this recipe. Can also use half chickpeas and half broad beans/peas. This recipe makes about 12 small falafel. It can be enjoyed as a starter or light meal or make a meal of it with wraps, grated carrot, hummus, salad and yogurt sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 cups podded broad beans can use frozen broad beans or green peas
• 1 cup fresh herbs - mint lemon balm, parsley, coriander
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 -3 tablespoons flour
• sea salt & cracked pepper
• ghee or coconut oil for cooking
• natural yogurt for serving

Instructions

• Place the broad beans, herbs, zest, cumin, garlic and olive oil into a food processor and blend into a coarse green puree. Add 2 tablespoons flour and seasoning and pulse to combine.
• Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a moderate heat. Add a little ghee or coconut oil to the pan and swirl to evenly coat the base. Drop a spoonful of the falafel mixture into the pan and cook until golden then flip and cook for a further minute or two until golden on both sides. At this stage check the falafel texture, if it is crumbly and doesn't hold its shape once cooked then add an extra tablespoon of flour to the mixture and pulse to combine. Cook the falafel in batches, then serve warm with a side of yogurt for dipping.

Hello, summer! The season of abundance and giving beach and river swims, and regular gatherings with friends and family. Every year I have grand plans of a slower time leading up to Christmas but somehow the calendar fills up with school picnics, end-of-year events and family barbecues. But I do love summertime, I won’t deny that, especially now that I am emerging after months of book editing and checking – what a perfect time to be social again!

Over the last few weeks, I have spent many hours at my publisher’s (Potton & Burton) sitting beside Alan, the in-house graphic designer and Robbie (my publisher) getting the book design just right. The author can rarely be involved so closely with the design decisions and I cannot express how grateful I am to have this opportunity. Self-publishing isn’t an option for me with a young family and other work commitments so being invited this closely into the book production process is truly appreciated. Every decision, small or large, is passed by me – and although I may not have the last say, my feedback is valued.

This brings me to the question many people have been asking recently, if the book will be available for Christmas? Writing and producing a book of this size (it has increased by 50 pages since production began) takes time, and the attention to detail of the publishing team is exceptional. So the book is still a few months away, but I can confirm it will be released as planned in April 2017.  Closer to the time I will share details of the book and launch party. For now, it is time to slow down (at least from book production) and enjoy the summer with my little ones and extended family visiting from overseas.

Today I share one of the recipes I have been making with my recent broad bean harvest. I see broad beans as a bonus crop as I essentially plant them for soil health, like a green crop such as mustard, lupins and oats. The harvestable tips (find my Broad Bean Tip Fritters HERE) and beans are therefore a bonus, especially considering the edible produce to garden space ratio is certainly not favourable. For example, to make these falafel (about 12 in total) I harvested a bucket of broad beans to end up with about 2 cups podded beans!

Once the plants stop producing I either cut down the greens and chop them up to be dug directly into the garden bed – like other green crops. Or if I need the garden bed straight away, which will be the case this time with summer seedlings ready to plant, they go straight into the compost as a nitrogen addition – one of the keys to healthy compost is including a combination of both nitrogen (green/wet) and carbon (brown/dry). Happy summertime everyone 🙂

p.s. I will be back soon with a special Christmas recipe, as always, inspired by my garden and local food.

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