Falafel Sliders (vegan)

In Memphis my bf and I went to a restaurant called Slider Inn (ahem). And we split a falafel slider with black bean hummus. Basically, what we have here. I thought it was a super-great idea! And I knew I wanted to eat them when I got home.

So I made my usual slider bun, the vegan remix, and Minimalist Baker’s falafel, and a thrown-together-no-big-deal black bean hummus.

P.S. I’m doing this casual vegan January thing. And by January, I mean, until my friend’s birthday later in the month that will be pizza and beer everywhere. (I’m lookin’ at YOU, Katie.) And by vegan, I mean, I had to get my eating in check. I can’t live my life eating pie after donuts. AKA vacation eating. BUT this doesn’t mean I’m eating anything I don’t like, and I can still have cinnamon rolls, so what’s the big deal, right? I feel pretty good about it.

Falafel Sliders
Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

Ingredients:

falafel –

• 3-4 T oat flour (ground from rolled oats)
• 4 cups stemmed and torn collard greens
• 1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 T tahini
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 t cumin
• sea salt + black pepper

for sliders –

• vegan brioche slider buns, recipe below
• cucumber slices
• black bean hummus, recipe below

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make oat flour by pulsing a handful of rolled oats in a food processor until almost fine. Set aside.
3. Add collard greens, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper to the food processor and pulse and puree until combined. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in oat flour until thick enough to handle. Taste and season as needed.
4. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup and scoop out falafel. Form it into patties and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes in the hot oven, flipping halfway through bake-time. Serve on vegan buns with a cucumber slice and black bean hummus.

Eat it by the spoonful, live your LIFE.

Black Bean Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained + more  if needed to thicken
• 2 T tahini
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T olive oil
• heaping 1/2 t cumin
• salt + pepper
• 1/2 cup walnuts

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients except walnuts in a food processor except walnuts and process until smooth. Add walnuts to thicken. Add additional beans if necessary to thicken. Taste and season as needed.

Cookie-sized burgs.

Vegan”Brioche” Slider Buns
Recipe adapted from here

• 1 cup water
• 3 T almond milk
• 1 package (2 t) active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 T sugar
• 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax seeds + 2 T water)
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 2 1/2 T coconut oil melted + more for brushing
• sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup water and almond milk. Microwave for 10 seconds spurts until warm, about 30 seconds total. Whisk in the yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the flax egg by whisking ground flax seeds and water and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add melted coconut oil and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Pour in the yeast mixture and flax egg. Stir until a soft dough forms. Scrape dough onto a clean, well-floured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on the counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Shape dough into a ball. Place in a medium bowl sprayed with cooking spray, turning once to coat. Top with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
4. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Divide dough into 8 equal parts (4-ish ounces a piece) or a bunch of 1.5 oz slider buns. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Cover loosely with a tea towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 400° with rack in center. Brush melted coconut oil over the buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if ya’ feel like it. Bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes for big buns or 7-10 minutes for slider buns. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yay! Click HERE for a printable pdf of the recipes above.

Chocolate makes everything better and so do succulents
Vegan “brioche”?! Shut the front door.