Spicy Baked Falafel Sandwiches With Homemade Tzatziki Recipes

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas in the water for at least one night, ensuring that the chickpeas are fully submerged.
• Drain the chickpeas in a colander. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and add the chickpeas. Cover with more paper towels and let dry for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180 °C).
• Add the dried chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, coriander, mint, 5 cloves of garlic, onion, paprika, 2 teaspoons of cumin, ground coriander, baking soda, toasted sesame seeds, salt and pepper, in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Use your hands to form falafel the size of a ping pong ball.
• Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Brush the falafel with olive oil.
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes.
• To prepare the tzatziki, cut a cucumber in fourths and remove the seeds.
• Use a box grater to grate the cucumber into a bowl.
• Salt the grated cucumber and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Place the salted cucumber into a sieve and press down with a spatula to remove excess liquid.
• Mix the grated cucumber with Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of mint, the minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Serve the falafel with the tzatziki.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then prepare the tzatziki by combining the yogurt, garlic, cucumber*, herbs, lemon juice & salt in a bowl and mixing until well combined. Cover & chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the falafel.
• In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas using a fork or a mortar & pestle. Add the onion, garlic, herbs, spices & flour, and mix together to make a thick paste. Roll small amounts if the mixture into ping pong sized balls, then flatten slightly to form small discs.
• Line baking sheet with foil. Lightly brush both sides of each falafel disc with the olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, turning about halfway through the cooking process so they're evenly browned.
• Assemble your sandwiches by stuffing each pita pocket with 2-3 falafel pieces and as many veggies as you can fit in there. Drizzle with a generous amount of tzatziki (or hummus, or tahini, for the purists), and enjoy!

Steps:

• Stir yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic powder, sugar, lemon zest, mint, and dill together in a bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste and refrigerate tzatziki until ready to serve with falafel.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Combine jalapeno peppers, parsley, green onions, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and fully blended. Scrape mixture down and add chickpeas. Pulse several times until just blended and chickpeas are broken up, but texture is still rough; do not overblend. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
• Add eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, Greek seasoning, cumin, 1/2 tablespoon salt, paprika, pepper, and chili powder to the chickpea mixture. Stir with a spatula until fully incorporated. Add chickpea flour a few tablespoons at a time and stir; the final mixture should be wet, but not falling apart when handled. Place bowl in the freezer, uncovered, to firm up mixture, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with some olive oil.
• Remove chickpea mixture from freezer and form into 20 to 24 small balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush falafel with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with remaining salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until falafel are dry and slightly darker brown in color, about 45 minutes. Turn on the broiler and continue baking until tops are crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve with tzatziki.