And did I say award winning....
Falafel and cucumber sauce (adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1 large onion coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh parsley
4 cloves garlic
2 eggs
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP olive oil
2 cups dry panko bread crumbs
1 cup plain yogurt (preferrably greek)
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 tsp dried dill
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Pulse garbanzo beans in a food processor until coarsely ground. Empty into a large bowl. In the same food processor, blend the onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Add to the garbanzo beans. Add in remaining ingredients except for the bread crumbs and mix well. Slowly add the bread crumbs to the bean mixture until the mixture is no longer sticky but will hold together. Add more or less crumbs as needed. Shape mixture into 8 patties and roll in some extra panko bread crumbs. Set aside on a baking sheet until ready to fry.
Heat a couple of TBS olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the patties until crispy and brown on both sides and cooked through (4-5 minutes each side?).
For the cucumber sauce, just combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill, and salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use.
Serve your falafels hot with pita bread and cool cucumber sauce!
