Baked Falafel Burgers

By ctozzi

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried garbanzo beans, rinsed thoroughly
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted (see note)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose or garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour, if needed

Preparation

Step 1

In a large mixing bowl, cover the garbanzo beans by 4 to 5 inches of water, and let sit for 24 hours. Drain thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor combine the garbanzo beans, onion, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, baking soda, salt, black pepper and cayenne; pulse process until coarsely chopped. If the mixture isn’t quite coming together, add a bit of water — but no more than 2 tablespoons (if there’s too much liquid the patties will fall apart when they’re cooked). If you add water, stir in the all-purpose or garbanzo bean flour. Adjust seasonings to taste. Shape into 6 patties (it will be a fairly wet dough).
Place the patties on a well-oiled baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through, until golden and firm.

Note: To toast nuts, heat in a dry skillet over medium heat until they start to brown. Stir occasionally. Be careful not to scorch them.