wrapped up in a warm, homemade pita + loaded with veggies
Hello there, Friday. AND you 3 day weekend. I see you, too! Couldn't be more excited for a weekend to arrive. This weekend is my friend and colleague, Amrita's baby shower & I cannot wait to go! Even more excited for the little darling to arrive. Want to know what else I'm excited for (since I used that word 10 times already)? THESE FALAFEL WRAPS! They came out so good and SO much like the falafel from my old favorite street cart. I literally couldn't believe they came from my kitchen. Oh- and that sauce! OH MY. Seriously making it on everything. It's a cool, dairy free version of your fav tzatziki sauce.
What're your plans for the weekend? Will you be catching up on some shows, running some errands? Perhaps see a movie?! 3 day weekends seem so endless at first.. Like you have all the time in the world to do whatever you want on this "mini vacation" from work. It's the strangest thing. Even though it's just one day, it feels like so much longer. Not complaining one bit. :)
So anyway, back to these bad boys. Falafels are one of those foods I eat when I'm either out late (errrr ok maybe occasionally in my college days), or if I'm just craving a greasy lunch. Since the first one like NEVER happens these days, and I never really want greasy food at work, I am left falafel-less. In college, we used to go to the Chicken and Rice street cart by our apartment, and basically eat Chicken & Rice when we were hungry and had no food in the dorm/apartment at 2am. BUT, then I became a vegetarian, and I had to switch things up a bit. What does a vegetarian get from the Halal guy that ISN'T meat? TADAAA... Falafel. With rice & lettuce. Smothered in a creamy yogurt sauce and hoooooottt sauce. So darn good, and so easy to eat. Paired with some fries too [sometimes]. Definitely. BUT, now I must make them at home. And perhaps slightly healthier, so they aren't just balls of grease. Yeckkk.
Here I have for you a simple version you can make at home! Not many ingredients, but it will take some prepping time. I made these last Sunday when I was lazy & felt like the couch + TV were my besties for the day. In between episodes of The Office, I'd go back to my Falafel mixture. Thank YOU, Minimalist baker for sharing this recipe with me! Hope everyone likes my take on it (and maybe makes this one of the 3 days you have off) :) Enjoy! xx Sam
| Vegan |
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas
- 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup of white onion, diced
- 6-7 cloves of garlic
- 2 Tbs of flour (GF flour or oat flour to make gluten free)
- 1 1/2 tsp of sea salt
- 1 Tbs of cumin
- 1 tsp of coriander
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
[LIFE CHANGING] GARLIC DILL SAUCE - 1/4 cup of hummus
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp of dried dill
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Water/dairy free milk, to thin (IF needed)
- Sea salt, to taste
CHICKPEAS: First, we need to prepare the beeeeans. Rinse & add to a large pot. Fill with water- enough to cover by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, and boil for just a minute. Kill the heat, cover & sit for one hour. After an hour, drain and let dry/cool.
MIX: While that's chillin, prepare the veggies. Add the parsley, onion + garlic to your food processor. Pulse until broken down. If the chickpeas are finished cooking and drying, toss them in the processor with the remaining ingredients- and continue to pulse until it all comes together! This part will take a few minutes, but you want it to be very finely broken down with just small bits left of chickpeas and herbs. The more ground, the better it'll stick together like a paste. Cover and set in the fridge for another hour to cool & firm up.
COOK!: When it's been sitting and you're ready to cook, get excited because it's about to get reeeeeal with these AMAZING falafel balls. Using a small scoop (or I used a tablespoon measuring spoon), form small disks. You can add more flour if they are too wet, and blend more if too dry! Heat your cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add some HIGH smoke point oil like grape seed- just a thin layer to fry. Let it heat & when hot, toss in (carefully) your lil disks. Cook each side until browned, remove, and cool.
SERVE!: Whip up your sauce & smother your falafel in it. With hot sauce, too.. of course. OK, and some red peppers, spinach and onions, too. AND duuuuh I wrapped them in my Homemade Flatbread, but they are just as good on their own. Or in a salad. Or basically anyway cause they.are.that.good.