Chickpea Patties with Israeli salad

We originally made this dish before our vacation to Oregon and really enjoyed how well the vegetarian patties turned out. The tzatziki sauce was really flavorful and we had added some chili pepper to give it some more spice. Since the recipe makes more patties than we can eat, we froze the extra patties raw for a future dinner. Thankfully, that meant all we had to do was thaw the patties under running water and we were ready to finish cooking our dinner. Brit made a delicious side of veggies that is very similar to an Israeli salad; details of the salad will come later.
Chickpea Patties with Tzatziki Sauce
(Originally posted on the Macheesmo food blog)

makes 8 patties

Patties
2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs, toasted
4 scallions, minced
1/2 cup greek yogurt (we got the non-fat kind from TJs)
3 tbsp cilantro, minced
Salt

Toast the breadcrumbs in a dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes until a light brown color. Then, whisk together the eggs, garam masala, oil, and pinch of salt into a small bowl. Mush the chickpeas in a large bowl with a fork until mixed well. It's ok to have it be chunky.

Stir together the chickpeas, egg/spice mixture, breadcrumbs, and all the other ingredients to make a paste. Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts and form round patties about 3/4 of an inch thick while trying not to press the mixture together too much. Over high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a pan. When glistening hot, add the patties and cook 4-5 minutes per side until browned.

Tzatziki Sauce
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 cucumber, shredded
1 tbsp scallions
1/2 tbsp cilantro
salt

Peel the cucumber and shred using a large pored grater into a colander resting over a bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Placing the colander over a bowl is crucial as the cucumber will lose a lot of its moisture while it sits. Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl and spice with chili pepper powder if you so desire.