Fuzzy Feelings & My First Giveaway!

Sometimes food gives me that fuzzy feeling inside, that excitement when an experiment turns out right, that first photo of a new creation…it’s comparable to a mother’s love for a child!

Okay maybe not quite but I’m sure any food bloggers out there will know what I mean..!

Those fuzzy feelings tend to be even stronger when what ends up on your plate not only tastes great but looks pretty sweet and its made all the more special by it having been incredibly simple.

The latest fuzzy feeling can be attributed to these pretty sweet potato falafels! Little gems of delicious goodness! I don’t eat enough sweet potato, they get terribly neglected in favour of butternut squash and pumpkin.

Having spent a day in the kitchen with Dave in The Happy Pear making Moroccan sweet potato falafel cakes I was inspired to create my own take. Six perfectly formed sweet potato falafels brought together with a little chickpea flour, plenty of spice, spring onion and served on a fresh spinach and alfalfa sprout salad…

I made a last minute decision to drizzle the whole amalgamation with a simple tahini dressing.

The coating of sesame seeds provided a delicious subtle bit of crunch. The mixture would most definitely make for an incredible vegan burger patty as an alternative, but I loved these little “bite full’s” (they were actually a bit bigger than a bite, more along the lines of two!)

The joy of using the chickpea flour meant that the still got that hint of chickpea flavour in the background yet the sweet potato was allowed to shine and all chickpea smashing and mashing could be left for another day of kitchen experiments.

Tahini is by far my favourite way to top off my meals. Creamy, flavourful and it comes up pretty good on the nutrition front; healthy fats have been featuring heavily of late! If I didn’t have such a variety of nut butters at hand I would a couple of empty jars but instead I have about 10 on the go.

The falafel held together perfectly. Soft on the inside, slightly crisp on the outer edge, jam packed full of flavour, each and every bite was as heavenly as the fuzzy feeling insinuated they might be. Baked in the oven, these babies are super duper healthy, vegan friendly and fool proof.

They would also make for a great packed lunch – I should create a new collection… “lunch box friendly”…the calzone from last week and the falafel being two perfect examples of tasty healthy lunch alternatives that don’t take an age or require a whole heap of effort to prepare and cook.

What’s your favourite take on falafel?

And before you check out the recipe here’s the details on my first ever giveaway!

I’ve teamed up with Myvitamins.com to give you the chance to win a 3 month supply of Complete Energy.

“Complete Energy is a high quality formula designed to help boost your physical and mental energy levels to support a hectic, modern lifestyle….This convenient one capsule serving can be taken when an energy boost is required, and won’t provide the sudden ‘crash’ associated with high sugar and caffeine based products.”

• Leave a comment to this post telling me something positive about your week! 
• ‘Like’ my Facebook page and leave a comment below stating that you have done so.
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment below stating that you have done so.
• Tweet about this giveaway – ‘check out @peachypalate great GIVEAWAY’
• Sign up to receive blog updates via email using the link to the right and leave a comment below stating that you have done so. 

Giveaway open to UK residents only (sorry international friends) and closes at 12am GMT Tuesday 29th August; good luck and have a great weekend!

Sweet Potato Falafel

 Print this easy peasy recipe

Servings – 1 (6 medium falafel balls)

Preparation Time – 5 minutes

Cooking Time – 20 minutes

Ingredients

Falafel

• 1/2 medium sweet potato cooked and mashed (about 200g)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/3 tsp coriander
• 2 spring onions finely chopped
• 1.5 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Tahini Dressing

• 1/2 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp water

Salad to Serve

• 1/4 cucumber sliced and deseeded
• 5 baby plum tomatoes sliced in half
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• Handful of alfalfa sprouts

Optional

• Jalapeno or Sweet Chili Sauce!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F).
2. Mix together all falafel ingredients with the exception of the sesame seeds. Divide mixture in to six to form six medium falafel. Roll each one in sesame seeds.
3. Place falafel on a non stick baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 –20 minutes, until browned and a little crisp on the outside.
4. Whisk together tahini dressing ingredients.
5. Serve falafel on a bed of salad, drizzled with tahini and a few dollops of jalapeno or sweet chili sauce if you fancy a bit of a kick! (Highly recommended!)

Tagged as: chickpea flour, falafel, my vitamins, spring onion, sweet potato, tahini, vegan, vegetarian