falafel: Israel's national snack ... and one of our family's favorite suppers

A few pix of our recent falafel dinner--my current favorite thing to do with chickpeas/garbanzo beans. 

Some meals are hard to wait for until everyone gets to the table.

Falafel on a whole wheat wrap with lettuce and homemade tzatziki
(tzatziki: plain yogurt with dill, garlic, and salt-awakened cucumber)

Brotherly lovin' this meal

Fresh from the back yard--forever bloom hydrangeas--
the perfect arrangement for this fresh summer meal.

I found this article very informative regarding tzatziki-type sauces: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/health/nutrition/26recipehealth.html?_r=1&

And, here's a recipe with several variations for falafel: http://theshiksa.com/2011/01/05/falafel/. 

My recipe was on the back of a postcard my husband brought back from his study tour in Israel. 

It was a fairly simple mix of chickpeas, coriander, garlic, cumin, and cayenne, with salt and flour. Some recipes call for eggs, lemon juice, and/or extra exotic spices. So know that it's like hamburgers here in the States: you can do just about anything as long as the basics are there.