Butternut Squash Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Soups & Sides

36 small falafel balls

2 medium mixing bowls, food processor, rubber spatula, dehydrator or oven

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Ingredients

Butternut Squash Falafel

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup almonds (or sunflower seeeds)
4 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 cup raw carrot or butternut squash (see roasted butternut squash with mushroom stuffing)
4 tablespoons of spices (I used a mix of garam masala, curry powder and cumin)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 to 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Large pinch of black pepper

Flax Seed ‘Bread Crumb’ (to roll them in)

3 tablespoons ground flax seed
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
½ teaspoon spices (I used garam masala and cumin)

Lemon Tahini Sauce (makes ½ cup)

4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons MCT oil (optional)
Black pepper and sea salt, to taste
Stevia, to taste (optional

Merry Christmas! I hope you’ve had a lovely holiday weekend. I spend some quality time with my mom and my sister, and I’ve been creating lots of fun new keto recipes like today’s Butternut Squash Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce. They’re gluten free, packed with flavor and a great way to use leftover butternut squash (like the one from the previous recipe video for Roasted Butternut Squash with Mushroom Stuffing).

The butternut squash falafel make a great New Year’s Eve appetizer or pre-dinner snack. I love serving them as part of a Mediterranean sharing platter too with tasty salads, hummus and olives. You could also enjoy them on top of a salad or in a wrap as a quick lunch. I’ll be sharing my favorite recipe for falafel wraps with avocado salsa soon, so make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss out :)

If you’re new to the ketogenic lifestyle, it’s basically a way of eating where you teach your body to burn fat for fuel instead of glucose (sugar). I started exploring this high fat low carb way of eating about six months ago to heal digestive issues and candida overgrowth, deal with hormonal imbalances and banish food cravings once and of all. You can read more about it HERE.

Have a lovely New Year’s Eve and a great start of 2018!

Butternut Squash Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce (Vegan Keto, Paleo, Gluten Free)

DIRECTIONS:

Butternut Squash Falafel

Combine the pumpkin seeds, almonds (or sunflower seeds) and ground flax seeds in a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Mix until finely ground.
Add the butternut squash (or raw carrot), spices, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, turmeric and black pepper. Process until well combined.
For the flax seed ‘bread crumb’, mix the ground flax with the sesame seeds and spices in a bowl.
Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon measurer, scoop out small balls and roll them in the ‘bread crumb’.
If you have a dehydrator at home: place the butternut squash falafel onto a dehydrator tray lined with a Teflex sheet and dehydrate at 115°F (which is about 50°C) for 4 hours or longer, depending on how crispy you like them.
If you’re using a regular oven: preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the falafel for 15 minutes or longer, until they’re crunchy on the outside but still soft on the inside.
Serve the falafel as an appetizer with tahini sauce, or on top of a simple cucumber tomato salad. I love pairing them with coconut yogurt ‘ranch’ sauce too, a recipe from my book Vegan & Raw 2.

Lemon Tahini Sauce

Combine tahini, water and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Stir with a fork or whisk until smooth and well combined. If your tahini is really dry, add more water or lemon juice.
Season with black pepper and salt. I love adding a few drops of Stevia too, for flavor balance. You could add a spoonful of turmeric powder as well, and one to two tablespoons of MCT oil to enhance your fat-burning metabolism and beat sugar cravings.

JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:

Turmeric has really powerful health properties. It will help to lower inflammation, improve your digestion and increase your energy levels. It’s best to combine it with black pepper and some kind of healthy fat (like tahini in this case) to make it more bioavailable so your body can absorb the nutrients.
This lemon tahini sauce will keep for at least 1 week in the fridge so you could make a big batch and have it with salads, wraps, steamed veggies…
The baked falafel will stay fresh for at least 1 week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
I love serving the butternut squash falafel with a tasty salad like this quinoa salad with oven-baked eggplant.

Now I would love to hear from you!

Would you like to give the high fat low carb ketogenic way of eating a try too? What are you most curious about? Do you have any specific questions about this type of cooking?

What kind of keto recipes would you like me to create: breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, dessert…?

I’d love to help you so definitely let me know by leaving a comment down below.

PS: Simon & I will be organizing a new culinary workshop about keto on Wednesday February 28th (Kortrijk) and Thursday March 1st (Ghent). I’ll be sharing how it has transformed my life and show you how you can turn your body into a natural fat burner too, with lots of tasty food. Click HERE for more info or to reserve your seat.