Classic falafels get a healthy spring update in these Crispy Baked Lemon Chickpea Cakes. They’re full of lemon zest, juice, sweet leeks and dijon mustard for a zippy kick – perfect on top of a salad or served on their own with a touch of greek yogurt.
Yogurt Sauce:
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 leek, sliced (about 2 cups)
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- Yogurt Sauce
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a small baking sheet in the oven.
- Heat a small non-stick skillet to a medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Add leeks, ¼ teaspoon salt and garlic. Saute until leek have softened, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool. Wipe pan clean and toast pine nuts over a medium-low flame. They are done when they smell nutty, be careful to not burn.
- Add chickpeas to the bottom of a food processor, pulse until the chickpeas are in tiny pieces, but not pureed. They should look a little bigger than grains of sand, with some bigger pieces as well, you still want a bit of texture.
- Transfer chickpeas to a bowl. Add leek and garlic mixture, pine nuts, egg, lemon zest, juice, Dijon, breadcrumbs and remaining salt. Toss until combined.
- Form into 7-8 patties. Place in the fridge while you heat the oil.
- Remove pan from the oven and add remaining tablespoon of oil. Heat for five more minutes.
- Add patties and bake for 12-15 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Flip and bake another 5-7 minutes or until crispy and brown.
- Serve with yogurt sauce.
Yogurt Sauce:
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl, mix to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
