I just love falafels! They are crispy, nicely textured and purely delicious. I have a thing for a pita bread stuffed with veggies, falafels and tahini sauce (or just Greek yogurt with spices).
Although traditional fried falafels are awesome, I bake them in the oven. In such way they are totally healthy and you can bake them in batches, then you can stuff your face with falafels for a week. Also, they are just great alternative for when you don't want meat (or you are vegan!). This is my simple go to recipe.
For ~20 falafels you need:
1 cup of dried chickpeas;
3 cloves of garlic;
1 medium red onion;
Half teaspoon of salt;
Pinch of pepper;
Half cup of fresh parsley;
Juice of half a lemon;
Chickpeas have to be prepared in advance. Soak them overnight in a generous amount of water. Chickpeas triple in size when soaked.
Put soaked chickpeas into a food processor. Add spices, lemon juice and lightly chopped onion and garlic. Process until smooth. Form falafels with your hands and place them on a baking pan covered with baking sheet. Cook in 220C oven for 10 minutes, flip over and bake for 10 minutes more. Serve in a lettuce or pita bread with tahini sauce and veggies. Enjoy!
P.S. The secret is to put falafels in already preheated oven so they turn extra crispy on the outside and soft in the middle!