Falafel Pitas with Goat Cheese Sauce

Falafel Pitas with Goat Cheese Sauce (Adapted from CL)

For the patties

1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 whole wheat pita, torn into chunks
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large egg
1 egg white

For the relish

2 cups chopped seeded plum tomato
1 cup chopped English cucumber
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 serrano chile, minced

For the sauce

1 cup plain yogurt
2 ounces soft goat cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

For the assembly
4 whole wheat pitas, halved

To make the patties

Rinse chickpeas and place in a large bowl. Cover with water a couple inches higher than the beans - cover and let sit at least 8 hours. Drain well.

Preheat oven to 350

In a food processor, pulse together chickpeas, green onions, parsley, baking powder, coriander, cumin, salt, baking soda, black pepper, red pepper, pita chunks and 2 garlic cloves until finely chopped. Scoop mixture into a medium bowl and add egg along with egg white. Mix well and let stand 15 minutes. Evenly divide mixture into 16 pieces - shaping each into a 1/2" thick patty. Set each on a baking sheet lightly coated with nonstick spray. Bake until lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.

To make the reflish

In a medium bowl, gently mix tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, parsley, lemon juice and chile.

To make the sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, goat cheese, salt and garlic until smooth.

To assemble

Place 2 baked patties in each pita half - fill each pita with roughly 1/3 cup relish and 2 1/2 tablespoons sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

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