Meat-Free Monday: Falafel Tacos With Sriracha Tahini Sauce

(MEATLESS MONDAYS/VEGAN RECIPES) For this week’s Meat-Free Monday recipe, why not celebrate Taco Tuesday a day early? After all, it’s always a great day for tacos!

Give your traditional tacos a Mediterranean twist with these falafel tacos with Sriracha tahini sauce. They are unbelievably delicious with a perfect combination of textures and flavors.

The Sriracha tahini sauce has the heat of a normal taco hot sauce, and the tangy creaminess of traditional Middle Eastern tahini sauce. With a crisp outer coating, yet soft and chewy texture on the inside, these falafel balls are a fantastic filler for crisp taco shells.

Since they’re baked, they’re extremely easy and healthy, too! As always, happy eating! — Global Animal

Falafel Tacos With Sriracha Tahini Sauce

Yield: 6 tacos

Ingredients:

for the falafel

- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro (or mixture of fresh parsley and cilantro)
- ¼ red onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- several dashes of black pepper
- salt to taste (I used about 3/4 tsp)
- 3 tablespoon chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional, but adds a little extra oomph)

for the tacos

- 6 taco shells
- 1-2 cups lettuce
- tomato slices
- other taco fillings

for the sriracha tahini sauce

¼ cup tahini sauce
¼ cup water
1-2 tablespoon Sriracha
juice from 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried dill

Directions:

for the sriracha tahini sauce

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or if using an immersion blender, a small bowl. Blend the ingredients until smooth. Chill until ready to use.

for the tacos

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine all falafel ingredients (chickpeas through nutritional yeast) in a food processor and process until you have a mostly smooth ball of “dough.”
Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough and use your hands to roll the scoop into a ball. Flatten it slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until there is no more dough left. You should have about 18-20 falafel
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through to ensure even cooking. Remove from oven. Stuff a little lettuce in each taco shell, then stuff about 3 patties into each taco shell. Top with tomato slices and any other taco fillings you would like to use (cucumber, avocado, bell pepper, etc.). Drizzle the taco with the Sriracha Tahini Sauce (recipe below) and serve warm. Enjoy!

Recipe Courtesy of Keepin’ It Kind

More Keepin’ It Kind: http://keepinitkind.com/falafel-tacos-with-sriracha-tahini-sauce/