I don’t in all honesty eat much meat, as I have become older my tastebuds have evolved and I would so rather have a veggie burger over a beef, or chicken burger any day of the week.
I am trying to get more adventurous in regards to rustling up more innovative and tasty vegetarian dishes, and this Falafel Ranch Salad with a Spicy Garlic & Herb Dressing was a huge success.
It was so easy to make and also really cheap, 2 tins of chickpeas cost me £1 in Tesco, utter bargain.
Falafel Ranch Salad with a Spicy Garlic & Herb Dressing
Ingredients:
2 tins of chickpeas
4 garlic cloves
Tablespoon of paprika
Whole bunch of coriander
3 tablespoons of flour
Tablespoon Cumin
Tablespoon Ground Coriander
Salt & Pepper
Half a large chopped red onion
1 lemon (juice)
Ranch Salad pack. ( Or shred red cabbage, onion and carrot)
10 asparagus spears
1 large gem lettuce sliced
12 cherry tomatoes
Ranch dressing
Nandos Garlic & Herb Sauce
Method:
1) To a food processor add all the ingredients, lemon juice but minus the flour, and blend till a smooth consistency is achieved.
2) Sieve the flour into the blender and wizz again for 6 seconds.
3) To a medium sized baking dish add some greaseproof paper so the dish is covered.
4) Pour in the falafel mixture and smooth across the dish.
5) Add to the oven 180oC (Gas mark 6) for 90 minutes.
6) Add 2 cups of boiled water to a pan and add the asparagus. ( Do not boil, just blanch)
7) Remove the oven dish with the falafel and removed the falafel from the dish using the greaseproof paper.
8) Add the ranch salad, gem lettuce, tomatoes and asparagus to a chopping board.
9) Leave to cool for 10 minutes, and then slice into finger size strips.
10) Place on the salad and pour over the ranch dressing and garlic & herb sauce.
I totally get that the ranch, and garlic & herb dressing is a tad cheating, it is easy enough to make and I have made both before. But this recipe was a spur of the moment idea, and one that just happened pretty spontaneously and quickly.
I froze half the batch and plan to add to wraps for when I want/need a high- carb day.
Please let me know if you try to make it. Thanks for reading as always.
