Baked Butternut Falafels With Cucumber Yogurt Dip

This recipe comes from the wonderful book "Mon premier dîner végétarien" by Alice Hart, which I was gifted for my bday a couple of weeks ago. Ive modified it a little bit to suit my tastes even better, but the original was really great as is, too. This is different from other recipes in that the falafels are being baked in the oven, so that they arent as heavy. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! :) Note: 30 minutes of chill time are not included in prep time.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Yields: 16 falafels

Ingredients

• For the falafels

• 500  g  butternut squash, deseeded and cubed
• 2  tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin, ground
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  coriander, ground
• 1⁄8 teaspoon curry powder (hot)
• 1  dash cayenne pepper
• 1  dash cinnamon, ground
•  salt and pepper
• 400  g chickpeas (either from a can or presoaked and cooked)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1  small  bunch parsley, chopped finely
• 1  small  bunch cilantro, chopped finely
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin, ground (yes again)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  coriander, ground (yes again)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder (yes again)

• For the Cucumber Yogurt

• 1⁄2 cucumber, deseeded and grated
• 300  g  Greek yogurt
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Place the butternut squash cubes on a paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbs of the olive oil and sprinkle garlic, powder, cumin, coriander, curry, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt and pepper over it. Toss to coat. Roast this in the preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for about 35 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl puree the chickpeas together with the baking soda, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander and garlic powder. I used my immersion blender for this, but you can also use a food processor or a potato masher.
3. Add the butternut to this and puree it also. The mixture should still be a bit chunky, not totally smooth.
4. Place the mixture in the fridge and let rest for 30 minutes.
5. Take tbs full of the mixture and drop them onto a paper-lined baking sheet. I used my hands to form them into patties. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes at 200°C/400°F They should be nicely browned on top.
6. For the yogurt place the grated cucumber in a fine mesh sieve and sprinkle lightly with salt. Allow to drain for 20 minutes.
7. Then wash off salt and press out all moisture using a tea towel.
8. Combine cucumber with lemon juice and yogurt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Enjoy with the falafels. This makes a great meal with a salad and some pita bread.