The Original Veggie-Burger: Falafel

Hungry for a veggie burger? Don't buy those expensive ready-made ones in the frozen foods section--just make your own. It's easy and utterly delicious. One way to make a veggie burger is to make, yes, falafel. Instead of a round ball, form the batter into a small patty. Then, you don't have to deep-fry it--which uses a lot of oil. You can pan-fry in a small amount of oil--just like any other patty or croquet. No need to buy those falafel mixes, either--try making falafels once and you will be hooked! Feel free to experiment with adding other ingredients--mint, fresh oregano, peppers, onions, etc.--are all game. I prefer falafel without flour or baking powder--just chickpeas and not much else. Yummy!

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 4  tablespoons tahini (sesame butter)
• 1⁄3 cup  minced flat leaf parsley (optional)
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons curry powder
• 2  eggs
• 2  tablespoons soy sauce
• 2  tablespoons olive oil, to fry

Directions

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas (if they are canned, 4 cups = 2 cans) and put them, along with all the other ingredients, in a blender or food processor. (The paste needs to be thick enough to hold up as a patty, so if you have to use less liquid, that's okay.) Pulse, scraping down the side of the bowl, to form a coarse paste. Scrape the paste into a bowl.
2. In a nonstick frying pan, heat the olive oil. Scoop a couple of tablespoons of the falafel mixture into your hands and smooth down to form a small patty (larger patties can be too crumbly--small is better). Place a few patties in the pan and fry in small batches, turning halfway through cooking, until browned and crisp and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and serve with tahini sauce (tahini, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, water). Also delicious cold in a pita sandwich with cucumbers and tomatoes.