I wait all year for this. I'm serious. Once the garden gets going and we have zucchini coming out of our ears, it's time for homemade falafel. It's a delicious way to use up extra zucchini. Kristie and I have made a pact to only ever eat it in summer -- otherwise we'd be eating it all the time (that's how good it is), and it really knocks it out of the park when the zucchini's fresh.
Like most things beautiful and delicious, this is a Martha Stewart recipe (with a few minor tweaks).
Ingredients:
1 15.5-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup plain gluten-free breadcrumbs (they obviously don't have to be GF, but I actually think it's tastier this way)
1 zucchini, grated
1 small red onion, grated
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 teaspoon coarse salt
4 whole-wheat pitas, toasted (I ate my falafel between two toasted slices of Udi's gluten-free bread. Just as good!)
8 leaves tender lettuce
Hummus
Feta cheese (optional)
1. Mash chickpeas in a bowl until smooth. Stir in breadcrumbs, zucchini, onion, egg, and salt. Form into eight 4-by-1/2-inch patties. (If you don't use it all right away, this mixture can be refrigerated for a day or two.)
2. Saute patties in oil until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Halve pitas and stuff with patties, lettuce, feta cheese, and a spread of hummus. (Or put it all together in sandwich form with the GF bread.)
