Falafels w/ Tzatziki Sauce

I am always looking for new Vegan meal ideas for dinner. I remember when I was little my Aunt Becky used to make my sister and I falafels. They were always so good and also a special treat as we only ever had them at her house.

I never really knew what a falafel was until I started to research it and discovered how easy and amazing they were to make from scratch. I adapted this recipe from one I found in "Easy Vegan: simple recipes for healthy eating." I found this book at the library and have loved several of the recipes. If you are looking for great Vegan Options make sure to check it out!

Falafels

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup dried chickpeas

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 scallions, very finely chopped

sea salt and pepper

Directions:

* Soak chickpeas in plenty of cold water for 24 hours. Drain well and roll in paper towels or a large cloth to dry.

* Place chickpeas, garlic, cumin, and baking soda in food processor and blend

to a smooth paste.

* Taste and season with salt and pepper, place mixture into a bowl and cover, let rest 30 minutes.

* Add scallions to chickpea paste and mix well, kneading with hands.

* Scoop into small lumps and make into flat, round cakes -place on a non-stick baking sheet and cover, chilling for 15 minutes

* Place in oven, uncovered at 400 degrees for 10 minutes on each side.

Kitchen Notes:

* I served these with Pita Bread, Cucumbers and Tzatziki Sauce (click for recipe). I also think that some sautéed onions would be great with these.

* I of course subbed the 2 garlic cloves for 1 TBS Garlic Garlic (Tastefully Simple).