Spinach Almond Falafel Salad + Vegan Garlic Mayo Dressing

Spoiler Alert: This is the first legit salad recipe I’ve posted on the blog. I know, I of kind suck at healthy food blogging. But I’ve honestly never had a salad I needed to share with you. Until now, that is. So, without further ado, I give you this Spinach Almond Falafel Salad with Vegan Garlic Mayo Dressing. 

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I’ll admit, salads aren’t my favourite, but I’ve been having this one at least 4 times a week for the last couple weeks. It all started when Christina posted this supergreen superfood falafel recipe a few months back. I was still in Trinidad then so I immediately went to the nearest Arabic restaurant and ordered a falafel wrap.

Unfortunately, they were out of pitas but they had actual falafels so they offered me a salad instead. I was a bit skeptical at first because, you know, salads. Meh. But my falafel craving was too real to ignore so I just went with it. And I’m so glad I did. Cuz I enjoyed that falafel salad so much, I had to recreate it.

Spinach Almond Falafel Salad with Vegan Garlic Mayo Dressing

I’d never made falafel at home before so it took a couple tries for me to nail down the process. Which is why I’ve been having this salad noon and night for the last two weeks. Not that I’m complaining.

Instead of going for traditional falafel, I took a page out of Christina’s book and added some veggies to the mix. I went with spinach for the final recipe, but I tried it with kale once and it was equally epic. I also skipped the usual deep frying. It’s unhealthy, unsafe if you’re as clumsy as I am in the kitchen and a giant waste of good oil. So I made patties and pan fried them instead. Cue falafel that was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside but not dripping with oil. 

For the salad I went with simple ingredients; just lettuce, tomatoes, and shallots. Cucumbers would also be a good addition if you like them but I don’t so I left them out. You can go crazy here if you want to, but I really wanted the falafel and the dressing to be the stars of this one. 

And speaking of the dressing, this vegan garlic mayo dressing is the bomb. I may or may not have enjoyed it more than the actual falafel. #Oops. The garlic ‘mayo’ only calls for 4 – 5 ingredients, but it packs quite the flavour punch, thanks to the garlic. And when paired with the falafel salad, you get a quick and easy meal guaranteed to have you begging for more. 

Spinach Almond Falafel Salad + Vegan Garlic Mayo Dressing

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

This falafel salad combines crispy, pan-fried spinach almond falafel and a simple vegan garlic mayo dressing for a meal even non-vegans will love.

Author: GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Vegan

Serves: 15

Ingredients

For the Falafel:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup cilantro
• ½ cup spinach
• 1.2 cup spinach
• juice of ½ a lime
• 2 tbsp almonds
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 shallot, minced
• ¼ cup spelt flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• salt & pepper to taste
• olive oil for cooking

For the Vegan Garlic Mayo Dressing:*

• 3 tbsp vegan mayo
• 1 tbsp almond milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp garlic
• Optional: 1-2 tsp dried thyme

For the salad:

• Greens of choice (I chose lettuce)
• Tomatoes
• Shallots, thinly sliced
• Slivered Almonds
• Cucumbers etc.

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients for the falafel to the bowl of a food processor and pulse. scraping down the sides, until everything is broken down and a crumbly 'dough' is formed. You may need to add more lime juice to get the food processor working
2. Transfer the falafel mix into a bowl and continue to mash with a fork if necessary (i.e. if there are any large chickpea chunks still visible)
3. Optional: At this point, you can refrigerate mixture for a couple hours or overnight. I've made the falafel with and without this step and I like it both ways. But, the texture of the falafel is a bit more authentic after refrigerating
4. Scoop out spoonfuls of dough and form into small patties or disks. I used a tablespoon for this and was able to get about 15 falafel patties*
5. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat
6. Once the oil is hot, place the falafel into the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the patties are golden brown. Watch them carefully as they burn easily
7. Transfer the patties to a paper towel to drain off any excess oil
8. Serve with salad or a pita and top with Vegan Garlic Mayo Dressing below

For the Vegan Garlic 'Mayo' Dressing

1. Add all ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and whisk until well combined

Notes

* I only make small batches of the salad dressing at a time, enough for two salads. But you can double or triple the recipe and store the dressing in the fridge for up to a week.

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What about you?

• Are you a salad lover? What’s your favourite salad?
• Have you ever made falafel before?
• Falafel salad? Or falafel wrap?

Join the conversation in the comments below!

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