Falafel Waffles with Creamy Lemon Yogurt Slaw

As soon as I saw this on food t.v., I knew I had to make it.  I was surprised that I only had to soak the chickpeas, but I guessed the waffle maker would cook them hopefully.  What I used:

Waffles:

• 1-3/4 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large organic egg
• 1 lemon, zested, using 1/2 lemon squeezed for juice
• 1 medium onion , coarsely chopped
• Avocado oil spray, for the waffle maker
• "Maldon" flaky salt, for serving
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Slaw:

• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons tahini
• 1/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch ground cayenne
• 1/2 head purple cabbage
• 2 carrots, grated
• 4 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

For the slaw: Whisk the lemon juice, tahini, yogurt, olive oil, honey, cumin, kosher salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Remove and reserve one-third of it in a small bowl. Whisk 1 to 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining mixture to make a thick dressing that drizzles from the spoon.

Slice the cabbage thin.  Add the cabbage, carrot, radish and red onion to the dressing in the large bowl and toss well. Add the cilantro and parsley and toss once more. Set aside to let the flavors blend while you make the waffles.

Place a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to its lowest possible temperature.

Preheat a waffle maker to a medium-high setting.

For the waffles: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, flour, kosher salt, coriander, cumin, baking soda, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, egg, lemon zest and juice and onion. Process to make a thick, almost smooth paste.

Grease the waffle maker well with avocado oil spray. Add a scant 1 cup falafel mixture and spread almost all the way to the edges. Close the waffle maker and cook until the waffle is crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. 

Add the waffle to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm and repeat with the remaining batter to make 4 waffles total. (You can also form into patties for a more traditional falafel shape and fry in 1/2 inch of oil in a large cast-iron pan, about 4 minutes per side.)

Serve the waffles sprinkled with flaky salt and garnished with the remaining parsley and cilantro. Serve with a scoop of slaw on the side, a drizzle of the reserved dressing and a lemon wedge. I also served with some homemade labneh.  

Leftover slaw will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The falafel waffles will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator as well and are best reheated in the toaster oven.

We really enjoyed dinner and every part of it.  What's not to love about falafels?  Everything tasted bright, crisp, fresh and healthy.  I will put this into our meal rotation for sure.