Falafels are a quick, inexpensive, but satisfying meal. You have to remember to soak the garbanzo beans overnight, but there are no long cooking times involved; they are ground up in the food processor raw. They are traditionally fried, but since I usually try to avoid frying I decided to see if I could healthy them up by baking instead. The verdict? We have a winner. I now have another quick, easy dish in my repertoire and my daughter has a new favorite meal.
I think I do too! I served this with steamed asparagus. These disappeared quickly, so for my large family I will double the recipe next time.
Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse till combined. Do not puree till smooth; mixture should be somewhat grainy. Shape into 1 1/2" balls (makes about 18), place on baking sheet coated with 2 T. olive oil. Bake 10 min., turn and bake 10 min. more. I served them on whole wheat pita bread with lettuce, tomato and tzatziki sauce.
