Falafel and Tahini Sauce with Pita Bread

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A Pita sandwich with falafels and tahini sauce is a healthy and nutritious lunch or dinner that you can enjoy as a sit down meal or eat on the run.

Ingredients

For the Falafel Balls:

1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans , washed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 T lemon juice

1 T onion

1 clove garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp tamari or soy sauce

1/4 cup garbanzo flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

For the Tahini Sauce:
Yield: 2/3 cup

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 T tahini

Plus:

4 pita bread

4-8 lettuce leaves

1 cup chopped tomato

16-20 slices of cucumber

Preparation

For the Falafels:

Put all ingredients except the garbanzo flour and baking powder into a food processor. Process everything until it becomes smooth but not quite a puree. Add the flour and baking powder and pulse until mixed in. Scoop by tablespoon and form into balls. Flatten them slightly. At this point you can deep fry them, pan fry them or bake them. Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes OR Pan fry in lightly oiled pan on medium-high heat until browned on both sides OR Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes turning them half way through the baking process.

For the Tahini Sauce:

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

To Assemble the Pita:

Cut 1/2 inch off the top of pita. Open pocket and insert lettuce, 2-3 falafel balls, 1/4 cup tomato, 4 slices of cucumber and 1-2 tablespoons of tahini sauce.

Recipe by
Karna Knapp