Who said leftovers have to be sad or boring? I have been seriously loving getting creative my leftovers lately as I find it so exciting to create a delicious dish out of few humble ingredients which they might otherwise end up in the bin.
I couldn’t have been prouder to have collaborated with Vitamix on their campaign against food waste and I hope this recipe will inspire you to make the most out of your leftovers too!

For this recipe I have used the new Vitamix Ascent which is uniquely designed to make quick work of tough and unloved bits of food and can generate impressive results from unlikely leftovers due to its power and engineering.

If you want to find more about Vitamix Ascent range you can click here:
https://www.vitamix.com/gb/en_gb/shop/smart-system-blenders

For this recipe I have used leftover butternut squash but you can also use leftover roasted peppers, sweet potatoes or beetroot.

I have been loving making a big batch of these falafels on a Sunday so I have food ready for busy days when I have no time to cook. I love how simple they are and yet so delicious and flavoursome. I love serving them in a big buddha bowl with lots of veggies and whatever grain I have on hand. They are also an excellent addition to any lunch box, wraps or sandwiches. If you want to make them even more delicious make sure to add a generous drizzle of the tahini dressing, definitely a match made in heaven! 🙂

Makes about 8-10 falafels depending on the size

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
About 2 cups of leftover roasted or steamed butternut squash
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon of tomato puree
1 teaspoon of pink Himalayan or sea salt

To serve:

These falafels can be enjoyed with so many different things, my favourite way to eat them is in a buddha bowl style kind of salad. I love adding:

roasted veggies like carrots and cauliflower
sliced radicchio and baby spinach
cooked quinoa
Sliced sweet pepper
A handful of chopped nuts (in this occasion I have used pistachios)

And finally I like to drizzle my tahini dressing:

1 tablespoon of tahini
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of miso paste
Water to thin it out

Just mix everything in small bowl and add water gradually until you have a the desired consistency.

Place the pine nuts into your Vitamix Ascent and select variable 1, start the machine slow and increase to its highest speed. You only need to blend them for about 30 seconds and the Vitamix power will have blitzed the nuts into almost flour like consistency.
Add the chickpeas and butternut squash. Select variable 4 and pulse 4-5 times until you have a coarse mixture. You don’t want to overprocess it otherwise you will end up with a hummus kind of consistency. Transfer the falafels mix to a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Mix everything together and with your hands shape the mixture into balls.
Line a baking tray with some parchment paper and bake the falafels in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Flip the falafels half way through the cooking time to make sure they cook evenly on both sides.

Serve the falafel while they are still warm with all the veggies, quinoa and drizzle with the tahini dressing. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for few days.