{Baked} Falafel

Falafel is one of those foods that I crave (and not just when I'm pregnant!). When we lived in Seattle, nearly every week we would go to Bastille for happy hour. This place became dear to us. It was our first date spot in Seattle, and it was there that we found out we were having a baby girl (which you can read about here)! I always ordered falafel. Each season it was a little different since they grew their veggies on the roof - but it was always delicious.

I made falafel for the first time last night, and it was super easy! It just might become a staple meal in this household since Matt loves it too. My recipe is adapted from Honey What's Cooking? and the tzatziki I made is from this recipe.

{Baked} Falafel 

Baked at 400 degrees F for 20-25 min.

Makes approximately 15 balls (~4 servings)

Ingredients

For Falafel:

1 15 oz can chickpeas

1 small onion

1 large handful of parsley

1 small handful of cilantro

3 cloves of garlic

1 egg

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp chili powder (I also added a dash of cayenne pepper)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp EVOO

1/4 c flour

For sandwiches:

pita or flat bread

hummus

lettuce

tomato

tzatiki 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Put all falafel ingredients into a food processor.

3. Pulse until combined and it looks like this.

4. Drop by spoonful onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 

5. Bake until lightly golden and crisp to the touch (20-25 minutes).

6. Prepare sandwich. I spread a little red pepper hummus on flatbread, sprinkled some greens and chopped tomatoes, then placed the falafel and poured tzatziki on top. However, the photo from Bastille above is caramelized onions and pickled purple cabbage. Basically, you can prepare your sandwich however you want!

A note on tzatziki: You can buy tzatziki at the store, but it is super simple to make! Just mix together Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, EVOO, and shredded cucumber. I sort of followed this recipe.

Hope you enjoy this tasty meal as much as we do!

+, Lauren Aiken