Cauliflower & brazil nut falafel sandwich

Finding healthy meals that are not only mouth watering but fill you up and fuel you for the day can be hard to come by. This falafel sandwich recipe is both delicious and packed full of nutrients to make the perfect go-to lunch, especially on those days spent working from home. Stuck for time? The falafel can always be made in advance and chilled to be used when required. Or why not try the falafel in other midweek meal recipes too.

Serves: 4

For the falafel:

100 g brazil nuts

200 g cauliflower florets 

1 medium spring onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

15 g flat leaf parsley

15 g coriander leaves

1 tsp Lebanese 7-spice or garum masala

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

½ tsp baking powder

oil for deep-frying

pickled guindilla peppers, to serve

 

For the red cabbage salad:

150 g red cabbage, thinly shredded

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp erythritol (optional) 

 

For the tahini sauce:

1 garlic clove

1 ½ tbsp light tahini paste

1 lemon, juiced

 

1. Put the brazil nuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Tip into a bowl and set aside. Pulse the cauliflower in the food processor until finely chopped, then tip a quarter of the mixture into a bowl. Add a quarter of the brazil nuts to the bowl, then return the rest to the food processor with the cauliflower.
2. Add the spring onion, garlic, herbs, spices, ground flaxseed, baking powder and a big pinch of salt and blend to a coarse paste, pausing to scrape down the sides occasionally. Stir in the reserved chopped nuts and cauliflower.
3. Form the falafel mixture with your hands into 16 mini burger shapes and spread them out on a double layer of kitchen paper. Cover with another layer of kitchen paper and leave to firm up in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
4. To make the cabbage salad, toss the shredded cabbage with the vinegar, erythritol and a big pinch of salt and leave to macerate in the fridge.
5. To make the tahini sauce, use a pestle and mortar to crush the garlic clove to a paste with a pinch of salt. Add the tahini paste and grind to mix, then gradually incorporate three quarters of the lemon juice, stirring all the time with the pestle. Gradually add a couple of spoonsful of water until you reach your preferred consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and lemon juice if needed.
6. Heat 6 cm of oil in a deep saucepan until it reaches 190°C. Fry the falafel in small batches for 4 minutes or until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a kitchen paper lined sieve to drain for a minute or two.
7. Serve each portion of falafel between two slices of LivLife bread with a quarter of the red cabbage, a drizzle of tahini sauce and a couple of hot peppers on the side.

Tip: Chill any leftover falafel after frying, then reheat in the oven the next day. The salad and tahini sauce will keep in the fridge overnight too.

Typical values
Nutrient	Amount
Calories	451.1Kcal
Fat	27.8g
Protein	26.1g
Carbohydrate	15.7g
Fibre	15.3g
Net carbs	0.4g

Please note: Nutritional analysis is pre-frying, which will increase the fat and calorie content.