Chickpea & Millet Falafels

Millet is the "new kid on the block" in the world of grains. Its popularity has increased significantly over the past few months, due to its health benefits such as being easy to digest, gluten-free, high in fibres and antioxidants. Consequently, it is being featured in more and more recipes in magazines, blogs and restaurants. Regardless of how fashionable it is right now, I am vouching for it as it is also truly delicious and a great core ingredients for tasty creations, such as these chickpea and millet falafels. They would be a fantastic addition to your a picnic basket or office lunchbox, do give them a try.

INGREDIENTS - makes about 12
(this recipe is inspired by the one published in"It's all Good" by Gwyneth Paltrow)

• 1/2 cup of raw millet, rinsed
• Maldon sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup of cooked and puréed chickpeas
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley
• 1 lemon
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the millet with 1 and 1/2 cups of cold water, and bring it to the boil. Let it simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, stirring every once in a while to prevent the millet from catching to the bottom of the pan. Once it's cooked, transfer it to a bowl and leave it to cool. Season it to taste with olive oil, salt and pepper.

When it has cooled a little, add the spring onions, parsley and chickpeas, and mix them well together. Again, taste to check the seasoning. When you are happy with it, cover the mixture with cling film and transfer it to the fridge, to chill and harden for 30 minutes/1 hour.

After this time has passed, switch on the grill setting in your oven at about 200° C and cover a baking tray with a sheet of baking parchment. Drop large tablespoons of mixture on the tray, leaving some distance between each tablespoon (as the falafels will spread out as they cook).

Grill them for about 20 minutes each side, or as long as it takes for them to became golden and crispy (this will depend on how powerful your grill is). Leave them to cool for 10 minutes or so, then serve them with a squeeze of lemon. They are delicious served in a wrap with crunchy salad leaves and roast vegetables, or on their own, accompanied by a tomato and basil salad.