Cashew Falafel

This recipe was in the Tennessean a couple weeks ago.  Doug and I first had falafel on a trip to visit our friend Emily while she was studying in Heidelberg, Germany.

Sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice (first zest 1/2 of lemon for falafel recipe)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Falafel:
2 medium red onion
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh parsley
15-oz can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup cashews
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
zest of 1/2 lemon

Whisk together yogurt, tahini, and lemon juice; add scallions and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place sauce in fridge until ready to eat.

For falafel:
Use food processor to pulse together onion, garlic, cilantro and parsley.  Then add chickpeas, cashews, and remaining ingredients.  Pulse about 7-8 times.

Divide mixture into 12-16 balls, flatten slightly.  Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add patties, working in batches, and brown for about 2 minutes on each side.  Place on baking sheet in 200-degree oven to keep warm.  OR, skip the skillet and just bake the falafel at 425 for 10-12 minutes.

Serve with sauce over bed of greens or in a pita with tomato and onions.  Goes well with tabouleh.