Not to be confused with the pop sensation the black eyed peas; also known as cowpeas this recipe uses the actual bean/pea (not cut up pop singers). Falafel made from scratch is super easy, just remember to soak beans or chickpeas in advance.

If you forget or don’t have time for this then just use canned chickpeas, the texture will be slightly different but they will still taste great. As always I try to reduce the amount of veggie oil I cook with so instead of frying these little guys I bake them in the oven on baking paper- no oil needed.
I like to lay out all the ingredients to make pita pockets on the dinner table, the ‘create your own pita pocket party’ is a fun thing to do with your family or for a dinner party. I place warmed pitas, a mix of salad greens, grated carrot, tomatoes, avocado etc along with sauce and hummus on large trays ready to go.
Recipe
Serves 4-6, Prep time- soak beans overnight + 20 min prep, 20 min cook time
2 cups black beans (or chickpeas) soaked overnight – should expand to about 3 cups
½ cup parsley
½ cup mint
¾ cup sunflower seeds
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion diced
2 tsp cumin ground
2 tsp coriander ground
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sy sauce or tamari
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp buckwheat or wholemeal flour
½ Cup water

Remove beans from soaking water, rinse and then place in food processor with all other ingredients except water, blend on high, stopping to scrape down sides until mix is finely ground, test to see if it will form a tbsp sized balls in your hands . Add in water 1 tbsp at a time until it does.
Preheat oven to 180C (345F)and roll falafel into tbsp sized balls, place on lined baking tray and press down slightly, bake for 20 mins until golden brown.
Serve in pita breads with salad, hummus and chutney.