It’s a gloomy morning here, the absolute perfect kind for coffee and blogging. Today is a monumental day – I officially have “my usual” at a local coffee shop. Southern California coffee shops have an enormous customer base and everyone is a “regular.” It’s not like the movies where the barista’s memorize your beverage and call you by name.

When our realtor meets with us, we grab coffees at a local coffee shop and my Iced Americano with Almond Milk has officially been referred to as “the usual.” That’s a celebratory moment, my friends! Cheers!

In other news, I am super proud of this recipe I’m sharing today! We’ve been expanding our menu’s to include lots of fun “international” foods like naan, curry, and fusion favorites like asian pizzas. We added Greece to our culinary passport with these falafel pitas, complete with a Greek yogurt sauce and some spinach.

Falafels are a vegetarian protein source made with chickpeas. Fun fact: What’s the difference between “chickpeas” and “garbanzo beans”? NOTHING. Italians and French prefer the chickpea name while Spaniards prefer the term garbanzo. No difference between the two, both refer to the fiber and protein-packed nutty legumes.

The best part is how crispy these cook up without any frying or oil!  These start out with dried garbanzo beans that have been rinsed and soaked overnight.

Oven-Baked Falafel Recipe:

• 1 1/4 cup dried chickpeas
• 1/2 medium sweet onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• juice of one lemon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp black cracked pepper
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour (any type of flour will work)
• 1/2 cup water

1.) The night before, put dried chickpeas in a bowl and cover with water. Cover with a towel and let soak overnight. Drain and rinse the next morning when you are ready to cook up the falafel.

2.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dice the onion and garlic.

3.) Cook onion and garlic in a frying pan over medium heat with cumin until evenly-glazed. Cover with lid and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

4.) Chop chickpeas in a food processor, pulsing until they reach a choppy consistency. (Don’t process too far; we are not blending them into hummus.) Transfer chickpeas and onion/garlic mixture to a large bowl.

5.) Incorporate lemon juice, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, black pepper, baking powder, flour and water.

6.) Form the dough into individual falafel balls like cookie dough. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes until the exterior is a crispy golden.

We ate these for a late lunch with whole wheat pita pockets, a layer of fresh baby spinach, and an easy homemade sauce made with two simple ingredients: 3 tablespoons plain non-fat greek yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon guacamole salsa (medium heat for a spicy kick!).

These would also be great as a vegan pizza topping or on a salad. Happy Monday, friends!