Homemade Baked Falafel

This whole Middle-Eastern trend is inspired by a visit I made to to a local bakery.  You know how fresh bread smell is irresistible? Well I was lured by the smell of this freshly made pita and couldn't resist picking up a pack. 

And then I thought to myself, this pita is world-class. It needs to be treated right. Which is why I decided to make falafel to accompany my scrumptious, fluffy, pita bread.

Traditionally falafel is deep-fried but to cut a lot of calories I wanted to bake them! I knew I could get a nice crust in the oven finished with a seared brown color under the broiler. I then got a bit carried away and made both tzatziki AND tahini from scratch. Check out my tzatziki and tahini recipe HERE! Seriously, a superhero is as important as his/her sidekicks. AKA you have to try one or more of these sauces when you make falafel. 

I made this recipe harder for myself because I soaked my garbanzo beans overnight, pressure cooked them, and then mashed them. I should have taken the easy way out and used canned beans. There's always next time I guess.  

Here's a three step summary of how to make falafel: 

1. Mash chickpeas

2. Mix spices and seasonings.

3. Bake.

Super college-friendly, and if you make bigger patties you can eat them in burgers! I doubled the recipe because I'm saving some falafel to eat on top of my salad. Falafels cook fast, are effortless, and versatile! And I'm totally digging my sauces. 

Homemade Baked Falafel

1 15-19 oz can chickpeas, drained
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. In a large bowl mash drained chickpeas by hand with a fork, spoon, potato masher. Using a blender will make the mixture very thin, as opposed to a chunky but paste-like consistency.

3. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. At this point you should be able to form into two-inch patties. If the mixture is too dry add a a tablespoon of water, and if it's too runny and falls apart, add additional flour.

4. Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until lightly browned, flip the falafel, and bake for another 5 minutes. To get desired brown color on top, broil each side for 2 minutes.

Tips:

Best served with tahini, tzatziki, or hummus in pita bread with fresh veggies. Check out my recipes for tzatziki and tahini HERE!