Spicy Caribbean Falafels

Oh how I love Falafels; they’re savoury, fulfilling, and a great substitute for meat! And no… they do NOT taste like meat, but they are dense, so after eating a few you will no longer feel the need to snack on anything else.

Servings4

Prep Time: 20:00 min

Cook Time: 15:00 min

Falafels

2 cups cooked chickpeas

1/3 cup red onions, minced

1/4 cup poblano peppers, minced

1/4 cup green peppers, minced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tbs pgarlic, minced

1 - 2 tsp caribbean rhythms oxtail seasoning. depending on your spice level, start with 1 tsp, if it isn't spicy enough add another 1 tsp.

1tsp goya adobo seasoning

1tsp curry powder

1 tsp liquid smoke

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 tbs pall - purpose flour

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

canola or vegetable oil for frying

Creme Sauce

3tbspsour cream

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 - 1/2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

1/4 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp salt, or salt to taste

1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 pinch of cayenne

Preparation

1. In a small bowl combine all creme ingredients, stir well, cover and refrigerate while the falafels are being prepared.

2. In a food processor, add chickpeas, cilantro, onions, garlic, green peppers, and poblano peppers.

3. Pulse ingredients together, scraping down sides as needed until thoroughly combined. All the ingredients should look minced.

4. Next add oxtail seasoning, adobo seasoning, curry powder, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and flour.

5. Plus again until combined; at this point, it should look like a crumbly dough, not pasty.

6. To shape the falafels, I used 3 teaspoons of the mixture, shaped it into disks, and then dipped them into the panko breadcrumbs covering each side thoroughly.

7. Once done, freeze falafels for 10-15 minutes until firm, but not frozen. This will help to keep the shape of the falafels while frying.

8. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add canola or vegetable oil. To test the oil to see if it is ready, take a pinch of bread crumbs and sprinkle them in. If the breadcrumbs begin to fry, the oil is ready... I used about a 1-1/2 cups of oil to do a shallow fry.

9. Gently place falafels in the oil, be sure not to overcrowd the pan, it will make it hard to flip falafels if there are too many in the pan.

10.Fry falafels on each side for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.

11.Serve falafels in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, with a drizzle of the creme sauce; or serve them alone with the creme sauce.