Baked Falafel Patties with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 T chopped parsley
• 4 T chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 4 T whole wheat flour
• Olive oil, for spraying baking sheet
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup Tahini Sauce
• 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 T water to thin sauce if desired

Directions

1. For the falafel, cover the dried chickpeas with cold water and leave them to soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Once they’re nicely softened, drain them thoroughly.
2. Add the chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, salt, garlic, and cumin to a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and evenly mixed, stopping before it turns into a paste.
3. Scatter the baking powder and flour over the mixture, then pulse a few more times to work them in. Try shaping a small ball; if it won’t stay together, mix in more flour until it does.
4. Transfer the mixture to a plastic bowl with a snug lid, then refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
5. When you’re ready to bake the falafel, heat the oven or toaster oven to 400F. Spray the baking sheet with olive oil; you can also warm the pan as the oven heats if you want a crisper exterior.
6. Form the mixture into 12 balls, then flatten each one with your hands into a patty that is just under 1/2 inch thick.
7. Arrange the patties on the prepared pan and bake until they are lightly browned and cooked through. Jamie baked them about 22 minutes; in a toaster oven, they took about 26 minutes, with a turn after 13 minutes.
8. Serve the patties warm, adding Yogurt-Tahini Sauce if you like.
9. For the sauce, use a whisk or mini-processor to blend the ingredients until smooth.
10. Thin the sauce with water to the consistency you like. About 2 T of water was added.
11. Serve the sauce with the falafel patties.