Gluten Free Vegan Living

Falafel is a middle eastern dish that is typically made from ground beans and served in pita bread.  If you have never had Falafel, I suggest you try this Lentil Falafel Ball Recipe as it is Gluten Free and Vegan.

This particular version of Falafel balls in not only interesting because it uses lentils rather than chickpeas or fava beans — but because it also includes kolhrabi (although the author says any bland type veggie will work, like zucchini, for example, which tends to be plentiful!).

She also includes a short recipe for Tahini sauce that sounds like a wonderful compliment to the Lentil Falafel Balls!

Gluten Free Vegan Lentil Falafel with Tahini Sauce Recipe

Ingredients for Falafel Balls:

5 cups cooked green/brown lentils

2 kolhrabi- each approximately 15 oz

1 cup flax seed, ground

1 cup potato, corn, or tapioca starch

1.5-2 tablespoons salt

2-3 tablespoons cumin

1-2 tablespoons turmeric

3 tablespoons coriander

1-2 tablespoons garlic

Oil for deep frying

Ingredients for Tahini Paste:

1/2 cup tahini paste

1 cup water

1 tablespoon and one teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

If you are new to Vegan eating and cooking, Meat Substitutes may be a challenge for you.  I know it was for my husband (by the way, he went back to eating meat …. but that is a different story).  Meat just has the density that most vegan food does not.  Now days, there are lots of option for finding Vegan Meat Substitutes … and they can tastes really good!

Just as a side note, watch carefully when you purchase Meat Substitutes as many contain Gluten!

Meat Substitute Market Beefs Up

… a U.S. product database found that 110 new meat substitute products were introduced in 2010 and 2011. And according to SymphonyIRI Group, a market research firm, frozen meat substitute sales reached $267 million in 2011.

All those new products are giving people who are looking for tasty alternatives to meat a lot more choice. And they’re making it easier for Weber and his organization, Farm Animal Rights Movement, or FARM, to persuade people to limit the meat in their diets.

READ FULL STORY

Check out these resources for making your own Meat Substitute (which is what I ended up doing for my husband and myself!)