FALAFEL WITH TAHINI SAUCE AND SPINACH

for the falafel:
15-19 oz can chickpeas, drained
1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
salt & pepper
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


Start by preheating the oven to 350 and drizzling the oil evenly in a shallow baking pan (we used a small glass baking pan/casserole dish).

Next, process the chickpeas in the food processor. Next, add the onions and garlic and blend some more.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients and you should get a thick paste-like consistency. Spoon out the mixture and roll (using your hands) into walnut size balls and place in preheated baking dish. Flatten the falafel a little. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flip the falafel halfway through baking.

for the tahini sauce:
1/2 cup tahini
4 gloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon warm water

In the food processor, combine garlic and tahini. Then add salt, parsley, cilantro, and cumin to the mixture.

Next, add olive oil, lemon juice, and water. If the mixture is too thick slowly add more warm water until you get the thickness that you like.

To assemble:
Put the falafel into pita bread or naan (see a few posts back for a recipe). Add spinach and tahini sauce.