Turning food into art can make a once feared food a little more approachable. It doesn’t mean that your kids will automatically eat it all and love it, but they might actually touch it or even try it. The more we can expose our kids to new foods, the more comfortable they can get with them.
My pickiest eater loves hummus and carrots but still doesn’t want to try peas. Having him help me transform the peas into boats made him giddy and he was begging to eat them before we were even done! He took a bite and said the peas were yummy with hummus, but decided he still was learning to like the boat. I’m glad that he can now picture the Sugar Snap Peas as boats and associate it with a fun experience every time they are on his plate again!

These falafel patties are packed with peas! Your little chefs will love adding all of the ingredients to the food processor, pushing the button, and helping to make the patties with their hands. Not only are these fun to make, but you can enjoy them in so many different ways. Eat them like "nuggets" with Greek yogurt for dipping, in pita bread, or on top of lettuce leaves with any toppings you'd like. You can even make the patties a little bigger and eat them on a bun as a burger or cook the falafel mixture in a waffle iron to make Pea Falafel Waffles. Any way you cook them, falafel is the perfect way to enjoy peas!

Ingredients

• 1 cup peas, cooked if from fresh or defrosted if frozen
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 to 3 tablespoons oat or whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for cooking
• Yogurt, pita bread, tomatoes, cucumber, or desired toppings, for serving

Instructions

1. Add peas, chickpeas, and parsley to a bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. 
2. Add lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, baking powder, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Pulse all ingredients until well combined and finely chopped, stopping to scrape the sides down a couple of times as needed. Form a little of the mixture into a small patty. If the mixture is too sticky, add another tablespoon of flour and pulse again to mix in.
3. Form the pea mixture into 16 small patties and place on a plate.
4. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook falafel patties in batches, browning on each side then placing back on a plate to cool.
5. Serve falafel warm with a dip or in a pita pocket topped as desired.

 
To make falafel mixture into waffles, mix in 2 additional tablespoons of flour. Heat waffle iron and grease well. Do not open waffle iron before 5 minutes of cooking. Use a butter knife to gently lift falafel from the waffle iron and transfer to a plate.

​Want some great products that teach kids to learn to love veggies?
Check out our shop for kid-safe knives, interactive placements, and veggie-themed activity boxes!