Anytime, Instant Falafel and Falafel chips

Falafel are deep fried Middle Eastern chickpea patties/balls.  Typically they are served on pita bread and topped with chopped veggies and drizzled with a tahini/sesame seed.  They are great as snacks or even part of a meal.  You can also shape them into large burger patties for a filling, protein rich vegetarian burger.

Making falafel takes time.  Chickpeas are first soaked overnight, boiled till tender then mashed and mixed with spices before being deep-fried.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could make your own instant, anytime falafel and falafel chips?

Yes, you can. Just use chickpea flour, mix in all the spices and store them in 1 cup portions in wide-mouth canning jars.  When the falafel craving hits, add hot water, fresh parsely and lemon juice to the falafel mix and shape into balls to deep-fry or into chips to bake in the oven.

Here’s the recipe for my quick and easy, anytime falafel.

Dry ingredients

1 cup chickpea/ garbanzo bean flour

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp garlic granules

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp sea salt (I used Real salt–win your own Real Salt in this giveaway)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp dried parsley (optional because you’ll be adding fresh parsley later)

Wet ingredients

1/2 cup HOT water

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp fresh parsley

Mix thoroughly all dry ingredients together (chickpea flour, cumin, coriander, garlic granules, tumeric, sea salt, onion powder, baking soda, dried parsley).   Store in a wide-mouth mason jar. Anytime you’d love some falafel balls or falafel chips, just add the wet ingredients: hot water, fresh lemon juice and fresh minced parsley and mix well.

To cook falafel balls or patties, shape batter into balls or patties and deep-fry till golden brown.

To make falafel chips, spread mixture as thinly as possible on a Silpat or parchment paper, score into diamonds with a pizza cutter and bake at 350 C for about 10 minutes (depends on thickness of cracker) till chips are golden brown in color.

Cheers,

Ann (http://momgateway.blogspot.com)

Beef Kebabs

Friendly reminder: If you have not yet done so, do join us for the Momgateway Light Recipes Contest.  The deadline is July 25th and the prize is a $60 gift card to the more than 200 online CSN stores.

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The workshop at Ohio State University was quite an experience...lots of new technologies and great talks...but so little time.  Our schedule was so full, we barely had time to eat.  I'm really glad to be back and get cooking again! After being away for so long, I missed my family... but the same day I arrived, we had to head off to Fort Worth to bring my son to a week-long church camp. Yesterday, we picked him up from camp and the first thing he said was, "Finally, after more than three weeks, I'm going to eat Mama's cooking!"  That got me so inspired... I made him kebabs for lunch.  It is super easy, hope you give it a try.

4-5 lb beef sirloin
For the Marinade
1/4 c dark soy sauce (light has more salt)
2 T canola oil
2-4 T muscovado sugar (my son likes it sweet so I used 4 T)
2 T freshly minced garlic
1/2 small onion, finely minced
1 1/2 t black pepper
1 t Kosher salt
juice of 1/4-1/2 of a lemon

Cut beef into bite-size pieces (about 1" chunks). Mix marinade ingredients together and taste it before adding the beef.  Different brands of soy sauce vary in saltiness. Reduce the amount of soy sauce according to your taste. Allow beef to marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.  Soak kebab sticks overnight to prevent them from burning while on the grill. Skewer meat and vegetables and grill.  Enjoy!

Garlic Porcini Mushroom Pasta

 

Sometime ago, I received dried porcini mushrooms from MarxFoods and tried it with bow tie pasta.  I like bow tie pasta for it's pretty shape and texture when cooked al dente.  Porcini mushroom is often used in risotto and soups but I prefer it sauteed in butter, garlic and shallots then added to pasta.  It's meaty, nutty flavor blends well with these ingredients. For me lemon juice and fresh cilantro adds a brightness to the dish but if you are partial to parsley, you can use that too. So, here is my jazzed up version of olive oil-garlic pasta. If you opt to add cream or cheese, make sure you adjust your seasonings.

1 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp salted butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water, strained, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro (parsley or another herb, if you prefer)
a squeeze of lemon (depends on how acidic you want it)
salt and pepper to taste
1- 2 cups cooked bow tie pasta

Heat the canola oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook till golden brown.  Add the mushrooms, the water it was soaked in and shallots. Cook about 5 minutes then add the cilantro and turn off heat.  Squeeze some lemon juice and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Mix in cooked bow tie pasta and serve. Grated cheese on top is delicious too.

Did you know?
1. Mushrooms are rich in dietary fiber, antioxidant, vitamins and minerals.

2. All parts of the cilantro plant can be used for cooking. The fresh leaves are used in soups and are indispensable in salsa. The roots have an intense flavor and are used in Thai cuisine.The dry seeds of cilantro are known as coriander seeds.

3. Although I love cilantro in my food, some people dislike its taste.  Cilantro is very popular in American Southwest cuisine but not in Europe and in some part of Asia.  Some people seem to detect a "soapy" flavor or an faint odor, similar to "bedbugs".  What do you think?  Some say there is a genetic basis for this perception, but there is no firm evidence. In my family, my son and hubby don't care for cilantro.  Do you use cilantro in your dishes?  What flavors goes well it?