Baked, Fried, Falafel, Hummus & Vegan Tahini-Tzatziki Sauce
After spending a day at DISNEY and having lunch at the EPCOT Moroccan exhibit my thoughts went to Falafel, a staple of the Mediterranean region, made and served in many of the countries and claimed as original by all. So to be fair here, I included a few variations of the dish and the first is baked for those who are watching fried foods. There are hundreds of variations to these shown below and again everyone claims they invented Falafel. I can see it now WWIII starting over the origin of Falafel. The only thing I am sure of is that the Garbanzo Beans are immortal and taste nutlike.
FALAFEL
Baked Falafel Ingredients:
•
1 (15-oz.) can or 2 cups cooked
chickpeas, drained & rinsed (Chickpeas are Garbanzo Beans)
•
2-3 garlic cloves, quartered
•
½ cup parsley, coarsely chopped
•
2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 Tbsp. whole wheat
bread crumbs
•
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. ground
cumin
•
1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. ground coriander
• ½ tsp. onion powder
•
Generous ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
Directions for Falafel:
Preheat oven to 425℉. Lightly drizzle a cookie sheet with olive oil.
Combine the chickpeas, garlic, and parsley in a food processor. Pulse until well mixed. Add the rest of the ingredients, and process until the mixture is smooth & uniform.
It should be perfectly moist at this point, but if you find that the mixture is a little dry, add a teaspoon or two of water.
Form the Falafel mixture into golf ball-sized balls. Flatten the tops with a spatula.
Bake for 12 minutes, flip, and continue baking for 5-8 minutes until both sides are beautifully golden brown. Serve inside a slightly warmed pita with spinach, cucumber, the hummus of your choice.
Dress With Vegan Tahini-Tzatziki Sauce:
Ingredients for Sauce:
•
½ cup plain nondairy yogurt
•
2 Tbsp. Tahini paste.
•
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill (or 1
tsp. dried dill)
•
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. white wine or apple cider
vinegar
•
½ tsp. garlic granules/powder
• ½ tsp. onion granules/powder
•
¼ tsp. sea salt
• Pinch black pepper
•
½ small cucumber, finely chopped
Directions
for Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl, Chill as the
falafel bakes, then drizzle in the pita & on the falafel. Cover the
leftovers & store in the refrigerator. This sauce also makes a great
salad dressing – especially when the salad is topped with falafel or chickpeas!
Tahini
A paste made from
ground sesame seeds, the major ingredient used in hummus. Tahini may
be purchased in cans, jars, as fresh or dehydrated. Tahini comes in two
varieties; hulled and Un-hulled. Un-hulled
Tahini is very bitter. In the Middle East Tahini is used in a variety of
dishes, and is often mixed with lemon juice, salt and garlic. May be thinned
out to make a sauce. It is a main ingredient in soups. You can make your own
Tahini by using a blender and mixing white sesame seeds with peanut oil until
creamy.
HUMMUS
Chickpeas and sesame, the crops from which hummus's main ingredients are taken, were known and cultivated in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds. Hummus's principal ingredient, chickpeas, have been a human food item for over 10,000 years.They were eaten by people in ancient Palestine before 4000 BC, were one of the earliest crops cultivated in Mesopotamia and were a common street dish in ancient Rome.
Archeological evidence identifies chickpeas in the Sumerian diet before 2500 BC. They are noted in a 13th century work by Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi of Persia for a "simple dish" of meat, pulses and spices.
It is unknown whether chickpeas were commonly mashed in any of these cultures. Tahini (sesame paste) likewise lacks any clear historical context. Sesame was grown as a crop in ancient Assyrian and Babylonian gardens and is mentioned by Columella. It was common in Roman and Persian kitchens in the form of sesame oil but not as the tahini paste of hummus-bi-tahini.
Ingredients for Hummus
• 14 oz jar of cooked
chickpeas
• 1 tbsp Tahini (see above)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Juice of half a lemon
•
1/2 tsp salt
• Water
• olive diced
•
Pinch of paprika
Preparation for Hummus
1. Blend the chickpeas and crushed garlic in a food processor until they
form a very rough paste.
2. Add the Tahini, olive oil and lemon juice and blend again until the
paste becomes
smooth. To achieve a softer, smoother hummus trickle some
fresh. Add salt and blend for thirty seconds more. Spoon the hummus dip into a bowl, garnish with the olive and
paprika and serve with Pita or other flatbread.
Ingredients for Tzatziki
• 200 grams of Natural Greek Yogurt (8oz.)
• ½ a cucumber
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• ¼ tsp dried mint
• ¼ tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
Preparation for Tzatziki
1. Grate the cucumber, squeeze out excess juice and place in a bowl.
2. Add the yoghurt and garlic and mix thoroughly.
3. Mix in the mint, dill and white wine vinegar.
4. Drizzle the olive oil over the Tzatziki and mix in.
Spoon the Tzatziki dip into a bowl and serve with crusty
bread, pita or
flatbreads.
Simple Falafel and Cucumber Sauce (Pan Fried)
INGREDIENTS:
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained 1 onion, chopped 1/2-cup fresh parsley 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 egg 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1-teaspoon ground coriander 1-teaspoon salt 1 dash pepper 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-teaspoon baking powder 1-tablespoon olive oil 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
Oil for frying - Canola
DIRECTIONS:
1 - In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; some do some don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. ( A processor is better just don't overdo it) In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas.
2 - In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt,
pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture
along with olive oil. Slowly add breadcrumbs until mixture is not sticky but
will hold together; add more or less breadcrumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and
then flatten into patties.
3 - Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides.
Simple
CUCUMBER SAUCE
1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt 1/2 cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried dill weed salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon mayonnaise Mix in small bowl and
chill.