The “Vegetarian Reset” is hot off the presses and one of the newest cookbooks that’s sure to delight you and yours. It’s filled with easy to follow nutritious, delicious and savvy recipes.
We’ve included one below we think you’ll want to try. We hope you enjoy it and will share this new cookbook with those you love.
From Vasudha Viswanath, Author of The Vegetarian Reset
Serves 2 as a main dish. The best falafel I ever had was in the vibrant bylanes of Le Marais in Paris, after standing in line for an hour. After years of trial and error, this attempt gets dangerously close to that flavor without deep-frying! The trick is to blend in the oil with the falafel mixture instead of spraying it on the outside. You can use the air fryer or the oven to get perfect falafel, crispy on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside.
Ingredients
FALAFEL
1 cup/100g roughly chopped scallions (both white and green parts)
½ heaping cup/100g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and rinsed
Packed ½ cup/15g chopped cilantro/fresh coriander
Packed ½ cup/15g chopped Italian parsley
8–10 fresh mint leaves
2 medium cloves garlic
2 Tbsp avocado oil
1 Tbsp chickpea flour
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seed
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp baking powder
GREEK YOGURT DRESSING
⅓ cup/70g whole-milk plain Greek yogurt or non-dairy yogurt
1 small clove garlic, minced
1–2 Tbsp water
¾ tsp lemon juice
½ tsp olive oil
¼ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
OTHER
2 cups/300g chopped salad vegetables (greens, tomatoes, onions, cucumber)
2 tsp harissa or hot sauce (optional)
Directions
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients for falafel except the baking powder in a food processor and blend to a coarse mixture (the texture of sand), scraping down the sides often. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
Step 2: Preheat the air fryer to 375°F/190°C or the oven to 425°F/220°C. Lightly spray the base of the air fryer with oil, or spray a baking sheet. (I use an avocado oil spray.)
Step 3: Take the falafel mixture out and stir in the baking powder. Shape the falafel into tablespoon-sized balls and place in the air fryer or on the baking sheet, with room between the balls. (You should have 12–14 falafels.) Spray oil lightly over the falafel balls if desired
Step 4: Air fry for 15–18 minutes undisturbed, or bake for 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway through. (Oven-baked falafels may not brown as evenly, but will still taste great). While the falafel bakes, mix together all the ingredients for the Greek yogurt dressing and refrigerate
Step 5: Toss the falafel with the salad vegetables, drizzle with yogurt dressing and harissa, if using, and serve immediately
Cooking Notes
- It’s important to use dried chickpeas for this recipe. Do not use canned or cooked chickpeas, as the falafel may come apart easily.
- You can add a little more chickpea flour to the batter if it seems watery and hard to shape.
- You can prepare the falafel mixture ahead and store in an airtight container for a week in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer. Defrost at room temperature for 4–5 hours or overnight
Reprinted with permission from THE VEGETARIAN RESET by Vasudha Viswanath, The Collective Book Studio, January 2023. Photo credit Alexandra Shytsman