Simple Falafel Fritters with Tahini Dill Dressing

If there’s one thing I know I love in the food world, it’s falafel. I’ve done baked versions before, but sometimes I just need that crispy exterior, so today we’re frittering it up! Plus “falafel fritter” is fun to say, so it’s a win win.

I love falafel so much that my bridesmaids created a falafel bar at my bridal shower. It included a huge pan of falafel (the fried variety), pita, hummus, and tahini sauce. Also corn tortilla chips, which were a little out of place to some, maybe, but I find a way to work corn tortilla chips into most meals.

This was back in January. I took home so many falafels that I couldn’t think of eating another one for a few months, but now here I am. I knew I couldn’t stay away from falafels for too long.

Speaking of bridal things, Ryan and I have figured out some fun wedding stuff over the past couple months. Although our wedding will be out of town, we’re trying to get hitched as sustainably as possible. Our food is all being sourced locally (check out our awesome caterer), and we recently purchased compostable cups (wine, beer, and water), napkins, and plates and utensils for appetizer and dessert. We will have recycling and compost containers near the tent, but are going to try to keep actual trash to a minimum.

It’s not perfect, of course. We still have lots of tent lights that need power, a dance that needs music, and obviously many people are traveling to get to our wedding. However, we’re excited that we’ve found options that make the event a little less harmful to the environment. Ryan and I were both pleasantly surprised that these options were easy to track down. It was just a matter of doing some research and determining our priorities.

In my day-to-day life, I try to be a little easier on the earth by eating vegetarian (duh), organic, and local (when possible). Those beautiful tomatoes you see in the salad below are locally-grown hydroponic tomatoes, and they are AWESOME.

Back to the title of this recipe: I realize you may think “falafel fritter” is a silly name, because most falafels are fried. To that I would say you have a great point, but I consider these fritters because instead of being in a ball shape, they are flattened so you can fry them using a little less oil than traditional falafel. That’s my reasoning and I’m sticking to it.

Note: that cookie sheet below was for transportation purposes only. These guys went straight into the fry pan!

Most falafel recipes are made with dry chickpeas and do not require a binding agent. Many quicker falafel recipes that use canned beans call for an egg, because otherwise they fall apart. Fortunately, chia eggs (made up of ground up chia seeds and water), are a strong, healthy glue that holds my vegan fritters together (see examples A and B).

To go with these fritters, I whipped up a simple tahini dill dressing, made creamy with a blend of grapeseed oil and Silk® Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk. Soy milk works great for dressings and sauces, because it is higher in protein and creates a thicker and creamier result than other non-dairy milks. Over the past few weeks I’ve dunked the fritters in the dressing, and also tossed some romaine in the dressing and ate the fritters on the side of an amazing mediterranean-inspired salad.

…And I absolutely crushed some tortilla chips on top of this salad. They make everything better.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.