Baked Falafel

There's a restaurant near the college I went to called University Pizza and Deli that has awesome falafel. They have a mixture of foods, including many middle-eastern dishes as well as pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. Everything I've ever had from there has been really good. I made my own falafel the other night, but decided to bake it instead of fry it.  I also make a tzatziki sauce to go with it, and served it in whole wheat pita bread. I would have used 2 pieces of falafel, but I made mine just a little too big. If you want to use tzatziki sauce, I would make that ahead of time so it can chill in the fridge.

Ingredients
1/2 small onion, chopped                
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4-5 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons olive oil

Tzatziki Sauce
3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar (can also use rice wine)

2 cloves garlic, minced finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 cup greek yogurt, strained

1 cup sour cream

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Directions
1. Wrap the chopped onion in cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside.
2. Place garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed then mix the bean mixture and the onion together in a medium bowl. Stir in the flour and egg.

4.Shape mixture into four large patties and let stand for about 15 minutes.

5. While patties are sitting, pre-heat the oven to 400.
6. Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for about 3-4 minutes per side.
7.Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

For Tzatziki sauce:
1. Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving.



Recipe source: Adapted from allrecipes.com
Tzatziki sauce: Adapted from  Lynn Livanos Athan-Greekfood.about.com