I have been itching for a beautiful bowl from Cava Grill lately – I know, could I be any more of a millennial? However, we don’t have the Mediterranean restaurant chain in Spain. Just the ingredients! And as per usual,  I’ve been trying to find new ways to incorporate veggies into my diet. I’ve been meaning to get to this recipe for ages now. With a week off for Semana Blanca (white week), here in Malaga, Spain, our stay-cation permitted me the time necessary to get down to business.

Falafel was something I tried for the first time recently, using Bon Appetit’s Youtube series to guide me. I’ve fallen in love with their instructional recipe tutorials and the charismatic food editors who walk you through each step with an invaluable visual aid to guide you. Now, I’ve never had an issue following recipes. I mean, I’ve been cooking since I was 8, following recipes on my own is how I became a self-taught cook. I’ve actually been cutting out and collecting recipes from Bon Appetit for over a decade now!

However, I’ve found that this trend of live recipe instruction, as with resources like Buzzfeed Tasty, has taken a critical turn for aspiring cooks. With professionals, like Molly Baz and Chris Morocco talking you through the process of a recipe, they provide additional knowledge about the principles of cooking that aren’t typically included in a recipe. If you pick up on these tips, you’ll realize it’s what makes them so educational. For example, one of my favorite tidbits of info I’ve gathered lately from the BA test kitchen’s food editors: Don’t squeeze the moisture out of the falafel balls when forming because the moisture will create the steam that cooks the chickpeas when frying.

Now let’s get down to the build of this falafel bowl:

The falafel

This is the meat of the bowl. It’s a great gluten free option, but the truth is, it gets knocked off of my ‘clean eating’ list given that is must be deep fried. I made this recipe once and tried baking it, but that just didn’t cut it. The baked falafels weren’t even half as delicious as the deep fried ones. It’s critical to achieve that crunchy texture on the outside for general tasty-ness but additionally to hold up against the moisture you’ll get alongside the juicy cabbage slaw and tahini sauce.

Still, the deep frying isn’t the worst of the worst food options in the world. I opt for using sunflower oil as opposed to regular vegetable oil, which usually contains a lot of soy. I’ve also become quite conscious of how much soy I use, and if you’re intolerant, then follow me on the sunflower route. It’s delicious and totally functional in this recipe.

I’ve been using dried chickpeas since we arrived to Spain. They don’t even sell ’em in cans here and I don’t love the looks of the beans you’ll find packed in a gooey liquid in the jar. Dried beans shouldn’t intimidate you. They’re cheaper, are more shelf stable than anything and pack more health benefits than those in a can or jar. The biggest task with these bad boys is remembering to put them in some water to rehydrate the night before. Don’t underestimate how much they will expand after soaking. Sometimes, you’ll get more than you’ve bargained for! Measure according to the recipe and you’ll be good to go the next day!

Luckily with falafel, you won’t have to cook them in advance by boiling before making your falafel mix. Once they’ve doubled in size, you’ll simply throw them in the food processor and grind them up until they appear like a ground nut consistency. Do not over process them. As stated in the BA tutorial, this WILL cause the falafels to become dense. I made this mistake once. Woops.

The ingredients should be relatively easy to find, if not already in your pantry. Chickpea flour is a severely underestimated pantry item, especially when you’re trying to go gluten free. I’ve used it to make onion pakoras, French socca bread and even banana bread. Here, the bag pictured is only a euro (about $1.20). I haven’t purchased this in the US before. If you know the cost at a typical American grocery store, please comment below to let me know if this is a cost-efficient ingredient back home!

Additionally, the cardamom might be a more specialty item if you don’t cook or bake often. I’ve carried around this jar of cardamom pods since I came to Spain a year and a half ago in hopes of using them more often. Fortunately, they’ve retained their potency after all of this time. Cardamom is an incredible flavor addition to falafel and I would strongly advise against overlooking it. I even bumped the measurement up to three teaspoons beyond the BA reicpe.

Ground cardamom might be more practical, but if you get these pods from world market, you can simply crack them open and grind them with a mortar and pestle or under a heavy-bottomed glass measuring cup. Cumin, baking powder, salt, parsley and cilantro are the remaining components to the falafel. If you’re hesitant to invest in this ingredient, consider its use in cookies and cocktails as an added bonus.

Making the falafel truly is so easy. If you have all of your ingredients prepped, it’s simple the two steps of 1) grinding down the chickpeas and then 2) grinding down the herbs, garlic and onion. Lastly, you’ll combine all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and form some falafel balls with your hands. I was shocked by this step, because they hold together beautifully and are so easy to form. I think the most intimidating stage of recipes like this is forming adhesive balls, but it’s surprisingly easy.

The cabbage slaw:

I’ve been altering my cabbage slaw recipe for a couple of years based on ingredients available to me when I make it. This one is super tangy and citrus-y. If it’s too tart for you, try using an additional lime instead of a lemon. I love this aspect of it. It’s also quite a diversion from the cabbage topping at Cava, but it’s my preference for a salad base over leafy greens. I love a base of extra crunchy vegetables. I use carrots, red cabbage and red onions. Some serious magic happens when these all marinate in the fridge. The onions take on the most beautiful, soft pink hue and the shredded carrots soak up quite a bit of reddish-pink color. Overall, it’s relatively easy and healthy. I don’t add any sugar or honey, as most recipes might call for. Additionally, I use apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar like many recipe also call for. I simply haven’t been able to get my hands on rice vinegar in Malaga yet.

The tahini sauce:

I have a thing for sauces and condiments. I’m the type who often has a fridge full of sauces and toppings, but nothing to actually put them on. I deliberated over what to use with this recipe. I think an egg-y, tangy aioli might clash with the cabbage slaw, and tahini is a classic combo with falafel anyways. Since I don’t have fenugreek at my disposal, I couldn’t quite achieve the Bon Appetit-recommended sauce. I loosely based mine off of BA’s and Minimalist Baker’s 3-Ingredient Tahini Sauce. Tahini and warm water. Instead of garlic powder, I used fresh garlic, lemon, parsley, cilantro, spicy paprika and a dash of cayenne. It came together well and is 100% guilt free.

Toppings:

I miss beautiful banana peppers from the US, especially those you can get at Cava. I had to substitute with some pickled guindilla peppers. Some other toppings I include are sesame seeds, for extra protein and crunch as well as feta cheese. In a moment of weakness, I knew I had to add it into this bowl. If you ask me, one of life’s simple pleasures is feta cheese soaking up juices from a salad. It rounded out the dish, but you could surely omit this and enjoy the bowl as is. Lastly, chopped cucumber and tomato. Extra crunch and freshness.

Cava-Inspired Falafel Bowl:

Servings: 4-6

Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Cabbage Salad:

• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1/2 red cabbage, sliced or chopped
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• Juice and zest of one line
• Juice and zest of one lemon
• Juice of one orange
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

For the Tahini Sauce

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup tahini sauce
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt

Toppings

• Chopped cucumber
• Chopped tomato
• Crumbled feta
• Sliced guindilla peppers, pickled or fresh or sliced pickled banana peppers
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Pita bread (optional)

Instructions

• First, make sure you’ve soaked your chickpeas overnight.
• Next, make the slaw at least 30 minutes before eating. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, give the ingredients a good stir to ensure all are coated with the liquid.
• To make the sauce, combine all ingredients except warm water in a food processor. Blend until no visible garlic chunks reman. With the food processor running, stream in warm water. Refrigerate.
• Follow Bon Appetit’s recipe for Fresh Herb Falafel here.
• To assemble, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup salad to a bowl. Add several piping hot falafel on top, drizzle with tahini sauce and top with cucumber, tomato, feta, peppers and sesame seeds. Serve with pita bread slices, if desired.