Spring has arrived and with it radicchio, spring onions and spring beauty! This last one is actually an edible crunchy, mild green known as the iceberg lettuce of wild foods. Tipped off by local Indians, Gold Rush American miners used to eat them to avoid scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency. This is why it´s also called
miner´s lettuce. It has also other suggestive names such as winter pulslane, indian lettuce or cuban spinach. It is actually quite similar to baby spinach and you can use it the same way you use spinach: sautéed, in salads, in soups, in a frittata,.. Spring beauty on our plates is my first Spring suggestion!
With Spring comes also a street food tradition in Belgium – the Turkish dürüm, a wrap with different fillings and toppings, eaten outside and usually accompanied by Belgian beer. My favorite filling is… falafel. In the low FODMAP diet we are not allowed to eat wheat wraps and we can only tolerate a limited amound of chickpeas (1/4 cup). So, my second and last Spring suggestion is this vibrant raddichio wrap filled with spring beauty and baked millet falafel with a lemon tahini topping. Enjoy 🙂
Spring Radicchio Wraps w/ Millet Falafel & Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 2,64 oz | 75g verona radicchio washed and core removed
- 2,64 oz | 75g spring beauty* or baby spinach, washed and drained
- 1/2 cup | 2,96oz | 84g chickpeas canned and drained
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup | 100 g millet 1 1/2 cup cooked millet
- 1 cup | 125 ml water
- Pinch of salt
- 2,64 oz | 75g scallions green tops only, sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- Handful of peanuts
For the Lemon Tahini Dressing
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place the millet in a saucepan with boiling water and add a large pinch of salt. Lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer until the millet is cooked, but still chewy (about 15 minutes).
- In the meantime preheat the oven to 375º F/190ºC and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a food processor combine the chickpeas, cumin, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse until you have a paste and there are hardly any whole chickpeas left. Scrape this into a large bowl and add the flour, baking soda, cooked millet, sesame seeds, and sliced scallion tops. Fold it all together to combine.
- Form falafels with your hands with 2 tbsp of chickpea mixture at a time. Gently roll them into an oval flat shape and place them on the baking tray. Repeat until mixture has ended (makes 10 to 12 falafels).
- Slide the tray into the oven and bake falafels for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned and firm.
- Serve falafels in radicchio leaves and top with peanuts and...
Lemon Tahini Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until well mixed. Pour the dressing over the radicchio wraps and serve.
Notes
- the recommended amount of baby spinach is 2,64oz | 75g. Same as recipe for two people.
- the recommended amount of sesame paste is 1 tbsp. The recipe calls for 2.
GOS:
- the recommended amount of chickpeas is 1,48oz | 42g, which corresponds to 5-6 falafels, half of the total dose. Canned chickpeas are also advised, as they have fewer FODMAPs.
- The recommended amount of radicchio (GOS) is 2,64oz | 75g. Recipe calls for half this amount per person.
Georgina @theamazingflavoursofbrazil.com
This dish is so colourful Joanna! I am a big fan of falafel but I normally eat it with butter lettuce. I enjoyed the twist you’ve made by using radicchio leaves instead of lettuce. Well done and I am now going to have to replicate this idea here in our household!
Joana
Hope you enjoy it 😀