Raw Carrot Felafel

RAW CARROT FELAFEL

I am about one week in coming off a juice cleanse, I did the 10 Day Get Juicy Cleanse which was a really good way to kick my body onto the right path to health. This juice program recommends to not eat nuts or dehydrator foods for at least five days.

I have been good and it is almost a week so I decided to make this my first dehydrator meal since my cleanse break I chose this one because it is not made with nuts but with sesame seeds and flax seeds and I though that it will make it easier to digest and the base is carrots, who could argue with that?

I found this recipe a while ago from a really great site called Choosing Raw which has both raw vegan and non-raw vegan recipes and here is the original recipe .

I did make a few changes. First, it calls for the left over carrot pulp from when you juice…well, I am a bit burned out on my Champion Juicer right now, it was not the easiest juicer to use for greens and celery during my cleanse. also I wanted to try the recipe with all ingredients in the food processor using chopped carrots to see if it would come out the same way.

Appliances used: Magic Bullet, Food Processor, Dehydrator

Here is the recipe (with my own notes):

Raw Carrot Falafel with Creamy Tahini Sauce (yields 16 falafel and 1 1/2 cups sauce)

For the falafel:

2 cups carrot pulp

(note: I used about 4-5 carrots chopped loosely to go into the food processor)
1 cup sesame seeds, ground in a coffee or spice grinder, a magic bullet, or a food processor
2 tbsp ground flax seed (note: I ground the sesame seeds and flax seeds together in my magic bullet)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil (note: I used flaxseed oil)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced very finely (optional)
1/4 cup onion, minced finely (optional)

(note: I added 1 big round tbsp of cumin)

Mix all ingredients very well by hand, as if you were making meatloaf (ew).

(note: I put everything into the food processor instead and let it run a for a bit while I cleaned up) 

This is not ready, I still let it run for a bit longer.

Roll into balls about 1 1/2-2 inches thick, flatten gently, and put on a dehydrator try lined with a Paraflex sheet OR onto a baking sheet.

(note: I did not flatten, I left them balls)

Dehydrate the falafel at 115 degrees for two hours. Remove the Paraflex sheet, flip them over, and dehydrate for another two hours. If using an oven, bake them at 175 degrees with the oven door ajar for an hour and repeat on the other side.

This is halfway done, OMG don’t they look AMAZING?

Tangy Tahini Sauce (makes about 1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice (note: I used 1/4 of a cup)
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp agave syrup or 1/2 packet stevia (note: next time I might leave this out)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
2 tbsp nama shoyu
1/2 large or 1 very small clove garlic, minced (optional) (note: I put in 2 cloves of garlic and might make it 3 next time *garlic lover*)

(note: I added a nice handful of mint)

Blend all ingredients in a magic bullet, VitaMix, blender, or food processor until smooth and creamy. The sauce should be super tangy and delicious!

Now for my own way of eating them was to take big romaine lettuce leaves to used them as a type of pita pocket and I filled them with mixed salad greens, sliced heirloom baby tomatoes and chopped onion.

NOM!!

Well this is my first recipe post, not too bad, eh?

NOTE: Please do not expect raw foods that are copies of cooked foods to taste just like the cooked food. Raw foods might be less firm and don’t have a fried or baked taste. I find them fresher and nicer, but I don’t want anyone to be disappointed if this doesn’t taste exactly like a fried felafel.