Baked Falafel Pitas

Jeff was away last weekend so I had to fend for myself on the food-and-house front. It was surprisingly difficult. Walking and feeding the dog twice a day, prepping food, cooking it and washing up afterward - it too up far more of my time than I would have liked. It's been awhile since I've had to fend for myself and I'd forgotten how much another pair of helping hands can really accomplish.

I was really glad, therefore, that I'd chosen baked falafel for my dinner on Saturday. This is a low-effort, high-reward sort of dish. Everything goes into the food processor, the mixture gets patted into patties and they go in the oven. While they're baking, the pitas can be prepped and the dishes done. I even had time to chop myself a mango and squeeze some lemon juice for my sparkling water. Dinner = done.

Baked Falafel
Adapted from Fat Free Vegan Recipes. 

1/4 c onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp cilantro
1 1/2 c chickpeas
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp ground sumac
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp lemon juice

whole wheat pitas
baby spinach
cucumber slices
hummus
Greek yogurt
harissa

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine the onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro in a food processor and pulse until minced. Add the remaining falafel ingredients and pulse until a thick paste is formed.

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat it with cooking spray. Form the falafel dough into eight patties and place them on the baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, turning once halfway through, until golden brown (I often forget to flip them and they turn out just fine).

(You may wish to wrap your pitas in foil and pop them in the oven to warm for the last 5 minutes of baking.)

Take a pita and smear hummus, Greek yogurt, and a thin line of harissa over the top (I used to cut the pitas in half and stuff them, but the whole wheat ones tend to tear so I've settled for using the pita like a giant soft taco). Top with a small handful of spinach, a few slices of cucumber and two falafel patties. Repeat with the remaining falafel or pop them in the fridge for another day.