My Variation:1 can of drained chickpeas, 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped (1 cup), 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 6 slices of Jalapeno pepper, 1 TBSP white vinegar , 4 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 6 tablespoons whole grain flour
(adding cilantro about 2 TBS is optional, but I'm not a fan.)
Put everything in a blender or food processor and pulse it until its a rough texture but not pureed. Put it in a bowl and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. If its too gooey, knead in a little flour until you can form it into balls and it doesn't stick to your fingers.
I make patties out of it and like to bake it on parchment paper at 375* for about 10 minutes. The patties are great by themselves or you can put them into a pita pocket with tahini, lettuce, peppers, onions, tomatoes or whatever. (Traditionally, its formed into walnut sized balls and fried in hot oil until golden brown, but I'm staying away from oil.)
As an alternative, I make my own Pita dough (flour, salt, yeast and water), put the falafel mixture in the center, close it up and bake it at 475* for 5 minutes. I like to put a slice of jalapeno in with it. But that's me.
Its fun to make! Enjoy!