I have a love-hate relationship with falafel. I love the flavours and the crispy bits on the outside – and, as a vegetarian, I feel I really should enjoy them (especially considering that falafel and hummus in a wrap is the only vegetarian option in about 97% of cafés around here).

But as I’ve told you before, I sometimes find them sooo dryyy that they just suck all the moisture out of your mouth. Not really what you’re going for when eating a meal. It makes it really hard to enjoy them.

Since I know that falafel must have some redeeming features, deep (deep deep) down inside, I’ve set upon an accidental quest to prove to myself that falafel aren’t all bad. Okay, so my quest currently only consists of two attempts, but I’m sure more will follow.

First came my quick falafel, which were pan-fried, and ended up much, much softer and moister than most falafel – which I took to be a storming success. Loved these!

Next up are my roasted red pepper falafel – I blended up roasted red peppers, and added them to the chickpea mixture along with some sriracha for a bit of kick (told you I was obsessed, it’s becoming a problem).

These roasted red pepper falafel were another success! But, in a different way to before. This time, the flavour was incredible (roasted red peppers!!! In my falafel!) – sweet roasted peppers and spicy sriracha are an amazing combination. The texture was slightly more similar to the standard dry falafel than to my super moist previous version, though – probably because I baked these ones. Next time I’ll try pan-frying them instead. But, if you’re a lover of all varieties of falafel, you might be happy with them baked. Go crazy, do whatever suits you best.

Either way, I’m sure you’ll enjoy these roasted red pepper falafel! The flavours are seriously amazing, and once you’ve slathered them in tzatziki, or extra sriracha, or hummus (though chickpeas on chickpeas = weird), who’s going to care how they were cooked anyway?