Perfectly spiced and absolutely delicious! These falafels are baked and not fried making them much healthier but just as crispy and tasty and as traditional recipes. Vegan, Gluten Free & Paleo.
Preheat the oven to 180°c fan/200°c/390°f.
Place the whole sweet potatoes onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 1 hour until very soft.
While the sweet potatoes are baking, add the chickpeas and garlic into a food processor and pulse until the chickpeas are broken up and starting to resemble mash (You can use a fork to mash the chickpeas here, it will just take a little longer). Empty the mixture into a large bowl.
Once the sweet potatoes are soft allow them to cool for 15 minutes before using your hands to peel away the skin (this should be very easy if the potatoes have cooked for long enough). Add them into the bowl with the chickpea mixture along with the salt and all the herbs and spices. Use a fork to throughly mash and combine everything together.
Empty the sesame seeds onto a plate and line and lightly oil a baking tray.
Using your hands, make small golf ball sized patties of the sweet potato falafel mixture before rolling in the sesame seeds and placing on the baking tray (If you would like extra crispy falafels, you can brush the tops with a little extra oil). Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
I think that these sweet potato falafel are best served straight out of the oven but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (I would recommend reheating the leftovers in the oven for 15 to crisp them up again, as they can tend to go a little soggy after a few days).
I use olive oil to brush the falafels in this recipe as I like the flavour it brings, but feel free to use any oil you prefer.
Recipe courtesy of georgieeats.co.uk