Baked Falafel

Source: https://www.drfuhrman.com/recipes/2153/baked-falafel  

Falafel Ingredients:

• For the Falafel Patties:
• 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans no-salt-added or low sodium, drained
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• For the Yogurt Sauce:
• 6 ounces non-dairy yogurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 1/4 -1/2 cucumber, chopped

Other Ingredients

• 8 (100% whole grain) pitas
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced *
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup hummus, optional (see note)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make falafel

1. Add garbanzo beans, baking powder, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, and red pepper to a high-powered blender and blend to combine, making sure there are no unmixed portions or chunks of onion remaining.
2. Roughly chop the parsley and cilantro and blend with the bean mixture. Remove from blender and stir together in a mixing bowl to make sure ingredients are well combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Form into 3 inch wide by 0.5 inch high patties and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly wiped with olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes per side or until patties are slightly browned with a cracked surface.

To make yogurt sauce:

1. Blend all ingredients in blender.
2. Add cucumber to achieve desired consistency (more cucumber makes a thinner sauce).

To assemble:

1. Stuff pitas with lettuce and fresh veggie slices.
2. Add baked falafel patties and drizzle with 2 or 3 tablespoons of yogurt sauce.
3. Serve with hummus if desired, or use hummus in place of yogurt sauce.