Baked Mini Falafels- vegan, gluten free

These healthier, smaller falafels are perfect for packed lunches or a Middle Eastern mezze platter.

I promised I'd make falafels in the cake pop maker, and here they are: once I had devised the recipe, the mixture was quick and easy to throw together, and the cooking was way less fussy than deep frying, as well as being healthier. The texture is a little different from regular falafels- they have no chopped onion and they are a little smoother-but they are nonetheless delicious.

Don't worry ifyou haven't got a cake pop maker- you can shape the falafels  hand then brush them lightly with oil and bake them at 200C until they are firm and brown.This recipe makes about 24 falafels, depending on size.

Serve with wholemeal pitta bread, crisp salad, olives and creamy, tangy tahini sauce.

 2 tabs olive oil
1/2 tsp compound hing
400g chickpeas, cooked and drained
2 tabs chickpea (gram) flour
2 tsps ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tab chopped flat-leaved parsley
1 tsp seasalt
a pinch of black pepper
1x flax egg

• Mash the chickpeas- no need to use a food processor; you get a more interesting texture using a potato masher
• Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
• Cook for 15 minutes in a preheated cake pop maker, or shape by hand, lightly brush with oil and bake at 200C on a baking sheet until lightly browned and crispy on the outside. (You get a crispier finish if you bake them in the oven, but cute little shapes if you use a cake pop maker.)
• Falafels are delicious in pitta bread with a sauce made from tahini, lemon juice, salt and water, salad and olives. You can also serve them as part of a mezze platter, like we did: we added salad, olives, crispy spice-coated roast potato wedges and aubergine pate...yum!

One more week to go and we are on BST, so with any luck these artificially-lit shots will be a thing of the past! (At least until October...)

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