Quinoa, Chickpeas and White Beans Falafel

There are times when I feel like I was born ages ago... Well time is relative, and for my daughters my 40 years really ARE ages. But to think of the times when I grew up and see my children now, I honestly don't know what to say. Being a parent today is made more difficult by too many different things, too many influences children are exposed to. I can't even define everything and sometimes I feel like a goose in the fog, just hoping I won't lose my way.
Like, for example, a little "surprise" the other night - my daughter put a sign on our bedroom door saying: Do not enter. This room will be occupied by me for the next 20 days.
What caused this? a punishment for her misbehaviour: no after-school-visits to friends' house!
Luckily we resolved the "siege" but a doubt remains: are these the first signs of not-so-far adolescent rebellion? And to think I'll have to deal with that probably three times. Because the 6-year-old is not joking either.
I better stick to my pots and pans, and rather cause some food related rebellion.
Because that's what hear ofter at home: Mom has forgotten how to cook "normal" food. Or even better: Mom cooks for everyone else, but for us! Now that's really tops!

How much I love chickpeas is obvios from the number of recipes featured on my blog. I love its sweetness, I love to give it different forms and shapes, and it's simply aways welcome on my table.
Normally, I'm sure you have all once tried or at least seen recipes for it, falafel is made with chickpeas only. Some recipes call for precooked, some for chickpeas that have only been soaked overnight.
Well this recipe is a bit different. Apart from chickpeas there are white, cannellini, beans, too, plus the quinoa seeds, so dear to me as well. So, I knew, even at first glance, that I'd love this, a bit unusual variation on the classical recipe.
The first time I made them, I had a slight problem with the sesame salsa. Once I added the lemon (all at once) it turned into a solid mixture floating in the oil. And no way to break that. So I tried adding the lemon juice gradually and got a perfect result, a creamy salsa that goes really nicely with the falafel.
Another piece of advice. Definitely let the falafel mixture rest in the fridge, because only then will you get the maximum of flavors to stand out. I made a few for lunch and since I was in a hurry I didn't let the mixture rest at all. The remaining mixture rested in the fridge until dinner and it tasted much better.

Quinoa, Chickpeas and White Beans Falafel
(from Cucina naturale magazine)

* 200 g precooked chickpeas
* 200 g precooked cannellini beans (white beans)
* 100 g quinoa
* 1 egg
* 1 carrot
* 1 leek
* 1 clove of garlic
* fresh parsley
* a little chickpeas flour
* salt and pepper
* 1 teaspoon of powdered cumin
* 1 teaspoon of powdered coriander seeds

Sesame dip
* 1 clove of garlic
* 3 TBspoons olive oil
* 60 g tahini paste
* 1 lemon
* salt and pepper

Bring 300 ml of water to a boil. Add the quinoa, previously rinsed well with cold water. Lower the heat to minimum and cook until the quinoa has absorbed all the water. Stir every now and then to check.
Spread the cooked quinoa on a large plate and let it cool.
Put the carrot, the leek, the garlic and the parsley in a food processor. Process until everything is finely chopped.
Add the drained chickpeas, the cannellini beans, the egg, the salt and pepper, the cumin and the coriander. Process shortly to mix well.
Add the quinoa and  process once more to get a homogeneous mixture. If it should be too soft and wet, add some chickpeas flour.
Cover the falafel mixute and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes (I leave it for hours sometimes).
Take spoonfulls of falafel mixture and shape it into little balls. Roll them in chickpeas flour and then flatten slightly.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil and fry the fallafel on medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden.

For the sesame dip, mash the garlic with 1 TBspoon olive oil in a mortar. Add the tahini paste and the rest of the oil. Mix well and then add the freshly squeezed lemon juice, little at a time, adjusting the quantity to your taste.
Serve the sesame salsa with the falafel.

Falafel con ceci, cannellini e quinoa
(dalla rivista Cucina naturale)

* 200 g ceci cotti
* 200 g fagioli cannellini cotti
* 100 g quinoa
* 1 uovo
* 1 carota
* 1 porro
* 1 spicchio d'aglio
* qualche rametto di prezzemolo
* un po' di farina di ceci
* sale e pepe
* 1 cucchiaino di cumino in polvere
* 1 cucchiaino di coriandolo in polvere

Salsa al sesamo
* 1 spicchio d'aglio
* 3 cucchiai di olio extravergine d'oliva
* 60 g tahini
* 1 limone
* sale e pepe

Portate 300 ml di acqua a ebollizione. Versatevi la quinoa precedentemente messa in un colino a maglie strette e sciacquata bene con l'acqua fredda. Abbassate il fuoco al minimo e lasciate cuocere la quinoa nella pentola coperta  fino ad assorbire tutta l'acqua, ogni tanto girate per controllare. 
Stendete la quinoa cotta su un piatto e lasciatela raffreddare.
Tritate la carota, il porro, l'aglio senza germoglio e il prezzemolo nel robot da cucina molto finemente. 
Unite i ceci e i fagioli scolati dal liquido, l'uovo, sale, pepe, il coriandolo e il cumino e frullate di nuovo tutto per qualche secondo.
Unite la quinoa e azionate di nuovo il robot per mescolare bene tutto.
Se il composto dovesse risultare troppo morbido aggiungete un po di farina di ceci.
Coprite e lasciate riposare in frigorifero per almeno 10 minuti (io lo lascio anche per qualche ora).
Prelevate il composto con un cucchiaio e formate delle palline. Rotolatele nella farina di ceci e appiattitele un po'.
Scaldate 2-3 cucchiai di olio EVO in una padella e cuocete i falafel per 2-3 minuti su ogni lato a fuoco medio.
Lasciateli scolare sulla carta da cucina e serviteli caldi.
Per la salsa al sesamo, schiacciate l'aglio (senza germoglio) con 1 cucchiaio di olio EVO in un mortaio. 
Unite la tahina e poi il restante olio. Mescolate bene e poi unite gradualmente il succo di limone (consiglio di aggiungerlo poco alla volta e di dosarlo secondo il proprio gusto). Salate e pepate la salsa. Servitela con i falafel.

Razveselilo me je kad sam vidjela da je ovaj mjesec tema u igrici Ajme koliko nas je slanutak. Meni jedna od najdražih mahunarki/leguminoza. Primijetit ćete to i ako prošvrljate blog u potrazi za receptima. Od predjela, preko juhe, do focaccie. Nedostaje mi samo desert, ali i to ćemo uskoro ispraviti. 
Dakle s ovim receptom za malo neobični falafel u kojem su mjesto pored slanutka našli i grah i qinoa, sudjelujem u ovomjesečnom krugu igrice, čija je domaćica Tanja s bloga Kuhinja zaposlene žene .
Osim ovog recepta pridružujem i starije recepte s bloga.


Falafel s quinoom, slanutkom i grahom
(iz časopisa Cucina naturale) 

* 200 g kuhanog slanutka
* 200 g kuhanog bijelog graha (cannellini)
* 100 g quinoe
* 1 jaje
* 1 mrkva
* 1 poriluk
* 1 češanj bijelog luka
* par grančica peršina
* po potrebi brašno od slanutka
* sol i papar
* 1 žličica kumina u prahu
* 1 žličica korijandera u prahu

Umak od sezama
* 1 češanj bijelog luka
* 3 žlice maslinovog ulja
* 60 g tahinija
* 1 limun
* sol i papar

Stavite 300 ml vode da prokuha, dodajte quinou koju ste prethodno stavili u cjedilo i dobro isprali pod mlazom hladne vode. Smanjite vatru na minimum i kuhajte poklopljeno dok quinoa ne upije svu vodu.
Istresite kuhanu quinou na tanjur i raširite da se ohladi.
U električnu sjeckalicu (multipraktik) stavite mrkvu i poriluk narezane na komade, peršin i bijeli luk kojem ste odstranili zelenu klicu i usitnite sve što finije.
Dodajte ocijeđeni slanutak i grah, jaje, kumin, korijander, sol i papar pa opet izmiksajte par sekundi.
Dodajte na kraju quinou i izmiksajte u kratkim intervalima, po želji miksajte dok ne dobijete homogenu smjesu ili ostavite da se osjeti quinoa unutra.
Ako je smjesa prerijetka/premekana dodajte par žlica brašna od slanutka.
Pokrijte smjesu i ostavite u hladnjaku barem 10-ak minuta (ja je ostavim hladiti i po nekoliko sati jer se onda okusi bolje prožmu).
Kad je smjesa odmorila u hladnjaku grabite je žlicom i oblikujte rukama kuglice.
Uvaljajte ih u brašno od slanutka i malo samo spljoštite.
Zagrijte 2-3 žlice maslinovog ulja u tavi i pržite falafel na srednje jakoj vatri 2-3 minute sa svake strane da dobiju zlatno smeđu boju.
Vadite ih na nekoliko slojeva kuhinjskog papira da se ocijedi masnoća.
Poslužite ih tople (ali nisu loši ni hladni).
Uz ove kuglice možete poslužiti umak od sezama:
Usitnite u mužaru 1 češanj češnjaka (odstranite mu klicu) sa žlicom maslinovog ulja i prstohvatom soli.
Dodajte 60 g tahina i još 2 žlice maslinovog ulja pa dobro izmiješajte pjenjačom.
Dodajte po ukusu sok od 1/2 do 1 cijelog limuna.
Posolite i popaprite po ukusu.