Raw Falafel and Tabouleh

We started off our raw challenge with something we are very familiar with - falafel and tabouleh! They're both great vegetarian items, but falafel is fried and tabouleh has cous cous in it, so this was our first time trying it RAW!

I wasn't sure what to expect. I saw comments that it's really better than the "cooked" versions, and it took a lot of prep work to make these. Plus the recipes yielded A LOT of food! With so many leftovers, it would have been bad if we didn't like it!

Fortunately, we loved it! Matt said the tabouleh was his favorite, and I really enjoyed the falafel. I would definitely say it had more flavor than regular falafel. You could really taste the ingredients since it wasn't fried. The tabouleh was really interesting because the recipe used cauliflower instead of cous cous. And though I looooove cous cous (and hate cauliflower!), I really didn't miss it in this recipe!

I found both recipes on the Raw Guru website. It's a fantastic resource, though for this recipe it didn't really share any directions. I took all of the ingredients for the falafel and put it in the food processor. Then I formed meatball sized balls and put them in the fridge. For the tabouleh, I put the cauliflower and cilantro in the food processors, but everything else I diced by hand. I would suggest cutting the recipe in half unless you are going to a potluck or family reunion. It's a ton of food!



Falafel
2 portobello mushroom caps - cubed
2 medium carrots - peeled and sliced
1/2 small onion - diced
1 garlic clove - sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw pistachios
3/4 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup sunflower seeds - soaked for at least 30 minutes
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds


Tabouleh
1 large cauliflower head - florets only
3 cups cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely diced
3 cups chopped parsley or cilantro
3 cups tomato - seeded and diced
1/3 cup scallions - thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper


Tahini sauce (we dipped our falafel in this sauce)
1 cup raw Sesame Tahini
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt