Easiest Ever Falafel! (Attack of the Killer Zucchinis, II)

So I think I mentioned here,  I am gradually trying to work through a whole mess of giant mutant zucchinis that went from flowers to weapons of mass destruction during our 2 week vacation.  Which means I have a bag of grated zucchini that I’m trying to add to everything I possibly can to see what might work.

So yesterday (due to a combination of the plenitude of zucchini and a loaf of wheat bread that went dry and stale before we could eat it) I started futzing around and happened upon the easiest version of falafel I’ve ever tried.  (In full disclosure here, I should mention that by calling them “falafel” I basically mean “patty involving chickpeas and basically middle-eastern seasonings.” I’ve had real Palestinian falafel before, and this is nothing like it. But it’s still yummy.  And not deep-fried.)

Easy Falafel (single serving: quadruple as desired!)

Combine in a bowl; squish with fingers until well mixed:

• 1/4 cup hummus (pre-prepared or made yourself; if you don’t have any, use a food processor or blender to attack a can of chickpeas plus a few cloves of garlic, a little lemon juice, a little olive oil, and some tahini or a few drops of toasted sesame oil…that’s basically hummus. And in a pinch, you can live without the lemon juice and tahini.)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated zucchini (or other grated vegetable
• 1 tsp chopped cilantro (or basil or parsley) (optional, but it really makes a difference!)
• powdered cumin, garlic, and/or coriander, to taste (depends on how seasoned your hummus is)

Form into golfball-sized balls and flatten into patties.  Cook on medium high heat in a little oil till crispy on both sides, flipping halfway through.

Incredibly easy! Usually I make my own hummus, but it works just as well with the store-bought stuff.  A larger batch might be nice to add an egg to as well, but it seems to do well without it.

Easy way to use up a little more of that endless squash…

–J

The full Giant Mutant Zucchini series:  Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, and Part IV.