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The humble falafel veers off the usual path with the addition of hearty kale, which introduces a gorgeous green color to this vegetarian dish. Serve atop a bed of homemade hummus sprinkled with pine nuts and cayenne, drizzled with olive oil.
Makes 10-12 falafel
To Serve
In a large bowl, add the dried beans and cover with cool water. Allow beans to sit overnight in the water. If you’re short on time, you can bring the beans to a boil for 2 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the beans to sit in the warm water for an hour. When done, drain and rinse.
In a food processor, pulse the beans until texture looks crumbly and there are no large pieces left. Transfer beans to a large bowl.
In the same food processor, add the kale, mint, parsley, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Pulse everything together until it looks almost like a paste. Add mixture to the beans.
Use a large spatula to mix the beans and herbs together. Then add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix everything well.
Heat a large skillet with vegetable oil and bring oil up to about 370 degrees. You can test to see if the oil is hot by dropping in a small piece of batter. If it sizzles, it’s ready.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons and form a thick patty between my hands.
Carefully place the falafel in the hot oil. You can fit 4-5 in the skillet at once, but don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry on one side until you can see it browning on the sides, about 4-5 minutes. Then flip over and fry the other side. The falafel should be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Lay the falafel on a paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
To serve, place falafel on top of hummus and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, a pinch of cayenne and a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.