Ingredients

• 1 pound dried chickpeas
• 2 green onions
• 2 cups white onion
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1-1/2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

1. Cover chickpeas in water in a large pot and soak overnight at room temperature.
2. Finely chop the white onion; chop green onions, parsley and garlic.
3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place in a food processor along with the green onion, white onion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, flour, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
4. Pulse until mixture reaches a course meal to paste texture. (Do not over process). You may have to do this in 2 batches depending on size of your food processor. Once done, blend together with a fork and remove any large pieces of chickpeas.
5. Refrigerate the falafel mixture for 2 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 400° F.
7. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.
8. Use a scoop or roll mixture into 24 balls; add directly into muffin tin. Place in the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove, turn falafel over, and then bake 7 minutes longer.

Helpful hints

• Serve falafel in a pita pocket with cucumbers, lettuce, onions and garlic sauce or on top of a salad.
• If patties are not forming you may need to put back in food processor until they are more paste like. Be careful not to process into hummus like texture.
• You can add more flour to help bind.
• If desired you can fry falafel in oil instead of baking. Use cooking oil with a high smoke point such as grapeseed or peanut oil.
• Substitute falafel for a protein food instead of in addition to help keep phosphorus and potassium intake in goal.