My husband Howard and son Ted enjoy my homemade falafel but they aren’t great fan of sweet potato. When I suggest making dishes with this, I think, delicious vegetable I can normally hear a small sigh from them both. Oh the joys of living with fussy eaters. Therefore when I decided to make this dish I decided not to tell them what I was planning to cook. It’s not always a good idea to let them know what’s exactly in our dinner. That way they don’t get any preconceived ideas.
Howard, I have to admit isn’t as bad as Ted. If I told Ted exactly what was in the dinner he would probably never eat it. I know he doesn’t mind falafel so I told him it that was what we were having for dinner. It’s naughty I know but I just want my son to enjoy my cooking occasionally. Ted is my best and worst critic at times.
Plus when he was little he did used to love sweet potato over normal potato. If I suggested this meal back then he would have probably run to the table when it was served. It gives me hope that one day he will enjoy sweet potato again. As for this meal he liked it but he didn’t love it. Howard on the other hand really enjoyed this dinner.
Are you a parent with a fussy eater and do you find it difficult to keep everyone happy all of the time? If you have any, what are your best solutions? Let me know in the comments below and please don’t forget to like and follow me.
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Vegetable peeler
- Bowl
- Saucepan
- Food processor
- Teaspoon
- Tablespoon
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- Sweet potato x 200g
- Pine nuts or cashew nuts x 100g
- Dried chickpeas x 250g or 2 400g tins
- Tahini x 2 tbsp
- Mild, medium or hot chilli powder x 1 tsp
- Smoked paprika x 1 tsp
- Ground cumin x 1 tsp
- Ground coriander x 1 tsp
- Ground cinnamon or ground sweet cinnamon x 1 tsp
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Pour the dried chickpeas (if using dried ones) and pour over enough water to cover them.
- Add a teaspoon of baking powder to help soften them and put in the fridge over night.
- Rinse through the colander over the sink and put in a large saucepan.
- Cover the chickpeas in a couple of inches of water, add another teaspoon of baking powder and cook as per the packet instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.
- While the chickpeas are cooking in the pan peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 inch cubes.
- Put them into the baking tray with no oil.
- Place them in the the preheated oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the sweet potato from the oven and leave to cool for a good 10 minutes.
- If the chickpeas are cooked, remove these from the oven and drain through the colander.
- Rinse the chickpea once more and leave to cool until they are touchable.
- Place both the sweet potato and chickpeas in the food processor.
- Next add in the pine or cashew nuts, tahini, mild, medium or hot chilli powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon or ground sweet cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste.
- Blend all of these ingredients together.
- Once the ingredients are at a consistency you like to eat turn the food processor off.
- Remove the lid and the blade.
- Put the mix into a large bowl and put it into the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.
- After a couple of hours remove the falafel from the fridge and put it into a baking tray.
- Drizzle over olive oil and cover the falafel in the oil with a brush.
- Bake the falafel for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown and remove from the oven.
- Then serve with chips and a salad and enjoy.
Homemade Sweet Potato Falafel from Scratch was a hit with Howard and I really enjoyed it as well. As I mentioned earlier, Ted on the other hand wasn’t the biggest fan but he didn’t not like this dish. If your a sweet potato lover like me then this dish is going to be a great one for you. If you prefer butternut squash then please try it instead of the sweet potato and let me know what you think. The beauty of this meal is it can be made in advance and frozen if necessary. All the ingredients in this dish are freezable. It’s a great meal that will feed a small or large family. However you decide to eat this dish, as always, please enjoy. Thank you xxx
Googies Kitchen Life 