Maybe you've had good falafel and know enough to be excited about this recipe.  Maybe you've never had it or, worse, eaten soggy box-mix falafel.  For me, it was a revelation to discover that you can’t make them with canned or cooked chickpeas.  That's what brings on the mushy and the original soaking method is the cure.   
This truly is a ten minute recipe if you think ahead to soak the beans, which takes mere moments.

Prep Time:   About 8 Hours (Totally Inactive) plus 10 Minutes
Cooking Time:  10 Minutes
Yield:  4-5 Servings
Ingredients:
1 Cup Dry Chickpeas
4 Cups Water
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
½ Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley 
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Sea Salt
3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Soak dried chickpeas in water overnight or for at least eight hours.  Drain chickpeas.  Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Preheat olive oil in a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat.  Form batter into 2 inch disks and drop into oil.  Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until crispy.   Serve.

(Serve them any way you want:  over a fabulous salad, with a cooked grain and a sauce, or in the traditional whole wheat pita with lettuce, tomato and tahini sauce.  You can use what you’d like, but here are the classic sauce options:
Tahini Sauce
Combine:  ½ cup tahini (ground sesame seed paste --find it in your local grocery store), 1-2 cloves of minced garlic, ½ tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp olive oil and the juice of one lemon.  Add a little water if it’s too thick.  Keeps for a week or so in the fridge, covered.
Yogurt Sauce
Combine:  ½ cup plain yogurt (try to use one with some fat, if you can do it), 1 small chopped cucumber, 1 tsp dry or 1 tbsp fresh dill, sea salt and pepper to taste.  Keeps for a few days.)