Falafel & Yogurt Sauce

1 (19 oz) can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 small onion, finely chopped (I reduce this to half b/c I think it's way too overpowering)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

1 t. dried parsley

2 t. ground cumin

1/8 t. ground tumeric

1/2 t. baking powder

1 c. fine dry bread crumbs

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. cracked black peppercorns

oil for frying

Mash the garbanzo beans in a large bowl. (Or if you are lazy like me, throw all these ingedients, minus the bread crumbs, into a blender or food processor. I threw all the ingredients in whole even! It made this recipe go by very fast and gave the falafel a great texture.) So if you don't use an appliance, then stir in the the rest of the ingredients. Now, this is the fun part - don't be afraid to use your hands and get messy! Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls, you should get 18-24 and roll them in bread crumbs. (I always seem to make them a bit bigger.)

You can use a deep fryer to fry the falafel, but I just but a few tablespoons in a pan and get them nice and brown and crispy. You will want the heat medium high to high. Turn them frequently and then viola! Falafel! Below is the recipe I use for a delicious yogurt sauce. I then serve these in pitas with lettuce and tomato and often more cucumber.

Yogurt Sauce

1 pint plain nonfat yogurt (I use Sou Dreams plain yogurt for a vegan version)

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 - 1 whole cucumber, chopped into small cubes

1 T. fresh dill, finely chopped

lemon juice (about 1-2 t.)

salt and pepper to taste

If you have less yogurt just decrease all the other ingredients. Pretty much I just constantly taste and adjust it to make it taste how I like it!