Baked Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce

So there's this little restaurant I love called Baba's Mediterranean Grill that we frequent. I'm proud to say that the cultural food options have really expanded since I last lived in the area. [Although I have yet to find a decent Thai place.] When eating out, I almost always add it to the mix of options. My family even ate here for my birthday. As much as I like to try new dishes, I like to stick to what I know there-- usually a falafel platter which comes with 2 sides. Ever since, I've been curious about making my own... and for the health conscious, this is great because it is baked and NOT fried like typical falafel.

Baked Falafel

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (tightly packed)
1/4 cup parsley leaves (tightly packed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Plain, dried breadcrumbs for forming balls (optional)

Cooking:
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine all of the falafel ingredients except 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the breadcrumbs in food processor.

2. Process the mixture for 10 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process for 10 more seconds. The ingredients should be well incorporated but the mixture should still be slightly coarse; go through 1 or 2 more processing cycles to achieve this consistency, if necessary.

3. Divide the mixture into tablespoons and form into a ball. [I ended up with about 15 balls] Lightly roll the falafel balls in plain dried breadcrumbs to help hold them together during baking and placed them on a unlined baking sheet.

4. Brush the falafel balls with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and place them in a 425F oven. Bake the falafel in 4 stages. After 10 minutes, I rotated my baking sheet front to back. After 20 minutes, I used a spatula to flip the balls. After 30 minutes, I rotated my baking sheet front to back again. After 40 minutes, I removed the falafel from the oven.

I served the falafel in pita pockets with the chopped romaine, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce.


Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional: mint)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 kirby cucumber, peeled and finely diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl; stir to incorporate. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Taste after chilling and adjust seasonings if necessary.

[This was perfect, I didn't need to add any more salt or pepper.]

And of course, you need pitas... yes, this meal took awhile to make...