Vegan‌ ‌Falafel‌ ‌Smash‌ ‌Pita‌ ‌Bread‌

Prep Time : 20 minutes - Servings: 4 people

a)To prepare the Jalapeno Pesto Yogurt Sauce 

- 1 Jalapeno

- 3 cloves of Garlic

- 3 tbsp chopped Parsley

- 3 tbsp chopped Cilantro

- 1 tbsp pine nuts

- 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper

- 1-2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 cup vegan yogurt

- La Baleine Essentiel Sea Salt for seasoning (as required

b) To prepare the falafel smash

- 15.5 oz Chickpeas

- 1/3 cup chopped Parsley

- 1/2 cup chopped onions

- 3 to 4 cloves of garlic

- 1/2 tbsp Cumin powder

- 1 tbsp Lemon juice

- 1-2 tbsp Olive oil

- 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper

- La Baleine Essentiel Sea Salt for seasoning (as required)

c) Other Ingredients

- 8 mini Pita breads

- Shredded vegan cheese for garnish

- Red pepper flakes (optional)

- Tahini Sauce (optional)

a)To prepare the Jalapeno Pesto Yogurt Sauce

- Grill or roast jalapenos and garlic till they are somewhat charred. Allow them to cool.

- In a blender jar, add cilantro leaves and parsley leaves. 

- Add the roasted jalapenos and garlic along with pine nuts, crushed black pepper, and olive oil. Blitz to make a pesto.

- Add vegan yogurt to a bowl.

- Top it with the prepared pesto sauce and season it with La Baleine Essentiel Sea Salt.

- Mix and keep this sauce aside for now. You can store it in the fridge till needed.

b)To prepare the falafel smash

- Transfer the cooked or canned chickpeas into a mixing bowl. Using a potato masher, mash them lightly. You need not mash them completely.

- Add chopped parsley to the bowl.

- Add sliced onions and minced garlic.

- Add cumin powder, lemon juice, crushed black pepper, and olive oil.

- Season it with La Baleine Essentiel Sea Salt as needed.

- Give it all a good mix. Keep this aside for now. It can be stored in the fridge till needed.

c)How to assemble it all

- If the pesto yogurt sauce and the falafel mix are in the fridge, take them out and bring them to room temperature.

- Place the mini pita bread on the baking tray. There is no need to heat or toast them first but you may do so if you want.

- Spread a generous layer of jalapeno pesto yogurt sauce over it.

- Then layer it with the falafel mixture

- Top it with shredded cheese and broil for 2 minutes (or until the cheese melts) at 400 degrees F.

- Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes and drizzle tahini sauce over them. If you want, you can also drizzle some tomato ketchup over them.

- Serve them warm or cold.

Notes

- You can use mini naan, pizza base, or any other mini flatbreads for this recipe instead of pita bread. These can also be made using regular-sized flatbreads

- Instead of chickpeas, you can also use kidney beans or black-eyed peas. Feel free to add more veggies like corn, bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc to this mix to make this falafel recipe more healthy.

- Throw in some fresh greens like baby spinach, kale, lettuce, etc in here too if you want. Vegan Crumbled feta cheese also works wonderfully in this recipe.

- Most part of this falafel pita recipe can be made ahead of time. Prepare the pesto yogurt sauce and the falafel mix in advance and store in the fridge. It stays good for 4-5 days. You can also freeze them.

- When you need to make falafel smash, take them out and let them come to room temperature. Then follow the third part of this recipe to assemble this dish.

- If you are not vegan, simply use regular yogurt and cheese instead of dairy-free. In case you don't have an oven, you can cook this falafel pita on a skillet. Cover the skillet and cook till the cheese melts.

- Got leftovers? You can simply spread the yogurt sauce over bread slices and stuff it with the vegan falafel mix and enjoy it as a sandwich. Or you can use it to make falafel wraps! There are many options to play around with