Oven-Baked Falafel with Halloumi Salad

Now the sun has finally arrived, picnics, barbeques and al-fresco eating are all back on the menu and these Oven-Baked Falafel and Halloumi Salad is the perfect healthy option! 

Staying on track when tempted by treats at outdoor parties and picnics can be a huge challenge for anyone. However, prepping a tub of these tasty falafel and having them in the fridge during the summer months is a great way to ensure you have a savoury treat on hand whenever the need arises. Gently spiced with Moroccan flavour and packed with protein-rich chick-peas, these are filling and moreish, without being highly calorific. 

I've served them here with a roast vegetable and halloumi salad and a creamy mint dressing, but these are equally delicious packed into pitta breads with green leafy salad, on a bed of rice or cous-cous or even served as 'meatballs' on a bed of pasta with a rich tomato sauce. 

Make it vegan! The falafel themselves are already vegan (yay!) You could also replace the halloumi with tofu chunks (or omit them completely) and leave out the mint dressing, perhaps adding a little more of the mustard and lemon dressing used on the leaves here. 

As with all recipes and meal plans on the blog I have highlighted the protein sources (P foods) in red, the speed (S) foods in green, healthy extra allowances in blue and syns, with syn values in brackets in orange.

Oven-Baked Falafel with Halloumi Salad

Serves 3 - portions of 4 falafel each - HEA + 0.5 syn (or 6 syn if not using HEA allowance)

1 large / 2 medium sized brown onions, finely chopped

Spray oil

2 tins of chickpeas fully drained

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp fine sea salt

Handful of flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped

Handful of basil, finely chopped

15 chive stalks, finely chopped

1 tbsp plain flour (2 syns)

Ground black pepper

120g of light halloumi, chopped into thick chunks (1 portion = HEA) 

2 courgettes, chopped into chunks

1 red pepper, cut into thick slices 

1 yellow pepper, cut into thick slices

3 red onions cut into halves and quarters 

3 large handfuls of baby spinach

3 large handfuls of rocket 

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp wholegrain mustard (0.5 syns)

2 cloves garlic, minced finely 

2 tbps quark

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp sugar-free mint sauce 

1 tsp fine sea salt

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees fan / 200 degrees electric / Gas Mark 6.

Spray a thick-bottomed frying pan with spray oil and, on a medium heat, fry the chopped onion until it has browned slightly and softened. Try to avoid blackening the edges if possible - add a splash of water if they begin to catch. 

In a food processor, pulse the drained chickpeas until they form a thick paste. 

Tip in the cumin, garam masala, salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley, chives, basil and flour into the food processor and pulse until fully combined. 

NB: If you've a small food processor like I have, it might be a get quite crowded in there at this point so, if necessary, take out half of the chickpea mixture and pulse it to a blended paste with half the amount of the other ingredients, then remove the finished mix and switch in the removed portion, add the remaining additional ingredients until it is all combined then blend the two batches during the next step. 

On a board, mould the mixture carefully with your hands into small balls - you should aim for about 12 balls in total. 

Take two oven roasting trays and spray each liberally with spray oil. 

Carefully pop the falafel balls onto one of the trays, with some space between each one and then spray each of the balls individually with spray oil. 

Lay out the courgette, peppers and onions on the other tray, spraying again lightly with spray oil.

Put both trays in and bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile mix up the two dressings. Blend the lemon juice, mustard and garlic in one bowl. In another whisk with a fork the quark, lemon juice, mint sauce and salt. Put both in the fridge until needed.

After 20 mins, remove the tray with the roasted veg on and shake, before moving the vegetables to one side of the tray and lay out the chunks of halloumi.

Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes. Check the falafel aren't burning (they should be very deep brown ultimately).

After 15 mins, check progress. Gently press on a falafel and check it is crispy and firm and doesn't 'squash' down easily. If they do have too much 'squidge' then give them another 5 - 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, mix the leaves in a bowl before tossing in the mustard dressing mix. 

Remove both trays from the oven. 

Plate up the dressed leaves, carefully lay over the roasted vegetables and halloumi chunks.

Then place on 4 (or 1/3 of the full amount made) falafels and then drizzle over the quark dressing.