Another Falafel Recipe

This is a pretty forgiving recipe and amounts are approximate.  I have made this three times.  The second time they were dry and awful, so I decided the next time to make sure the mixture was pretty moist (I added another egg).

Cook a bag of Garbanzo beans for a total of about 6 cups.  I soaked mine overnight and through the day and boiled them for about 20 minutes.  Then grind them up in a food processor and put in a large bowl.  Add the following:

3 beaten eggs

4 Tbs Tahini

1/2 cup finely diced celery

1/2 cup minced parsley

1/2 cup minced cilantro

1/2 cup minced scallions

1 heaping teaspoon cumin (I buy cumin seeds and grind them with my mortar and pestil and it is much tastier)

1 teaspoon turmeric

3 Tbs flour or bread crumbs

S&P to taste (about a tsp salt and a few dashes of pepper)

4-8 cloves garlic.  Can you ever have too much garlic?

Mix it up using your hands.  From here you can fry or bake.  To fry heat up oil till good and hot and form into balls or flat round discs and fry until golden.  Baking is easier and healthier and less stinky.  To bake pour a bit of canola or olive oil in cake pan or jelly roll pan.  I baked mine at 400 for about 10 minutes on each side.  Basically until they started to turn a bit golden.  They were nowhere near as golden as when fried, but tasted great.  Better.

Serve them in a pita with tomatoes, hummus, tatziki, ranch, lettuce, parsley, or whatever else you can think up.  You can serve them without the pita too.  

Protein from Plants

In Michael Pollan's Eater's Manifesto, which this blog is named after, he talks about how people have been eating natural foods in beneficial combinations for eons.  Until of course industrialized food came along.  

Today I went to a weight class at the gym and my muscles are quivering.  It hurts my shoulders just to type.  The teacher wanted to make sure everyone made sure they went home and ate plenty of protein.  Sadly her suggestions were to go eat manmade bars and drinks.  Anyway that got me thinking about how superior plant protein is.  Scientist keep discovering more and more ways that simple old plants are good for us.  We don't even know all the benefits yet of eating God-given food versus supplement industry food. Of course if you eat beans without rice you aren't getting a complete protein. But the way humans have evolved to eat plant protein and in certain combinations is interesting.

Anyway most of you already know this stuff, but just in case here are some ways to combine plant foods to get complete and perfect proteins:

• Grains plus legumes. Try black beans and rice (the staple diet of a huge number of people). 
• Nuts and seeds plus legumes. Lentil soup with a serving of almonds on the side.  Or Hummus (sesame/chickpea).
• Corn plus legumes. Try pinto beans in a corn tortilla.

Isn't nature a funny old thing?  The way natural foods just seem to provide all the nourishment our bodies need and old-school culture helps combine those foods in ways that suit our dietary needs perfectly?  

Chickpea Recipes

Here are two great (easy & quick) recipes to make using your chickpeas:

Radiatore with Chickpeas, Baby Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Serves 4
from Quick Fix Vegetarian

1 10 oz. pkg fresh baby spinach
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained (oops, I didn't drain mine, it was fine)
1/3 c. oil packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 16 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. radiatore or other pasta (penne, rotini, etc.)

Put the pasta water on to boil in a large covered pot. Place the spinach in a bowl, cover and microwave for 2 minutes to wilt (I didn't do this-I cannot stand the taste of overcooked spinach, so I cook it as little as possible). Set aside.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in both kinds of tomatoes, the wilted spinach (again, I waited until the pasta was almost done to add the spinach in so that it was barely cooked) and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer to blend the flavors and heat through, 5-7 minutes.

When the pasta water comes to a boil, salt the water, then add the pasta and cook stirring occasionally, until it is al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss gently to combine. Serve hot.



Chickpea-Quinoa Pilaf
Serves 4-6 as a side
from Veganomicon

2 T. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped finely (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 T. coriander seeds, crushed
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. tomato paste (I recently discovered the tube of tomato paste & love it for recipes like this)
1 c. quinoa
2 c. cooked or 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 c. vegetable broth

In a small stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
Add the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and salt; saute for another minute.
Add the quinoa and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and broth; cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to very low, cover and cook for about 18 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water; stir occasionally. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Dried Chickpeas

image from Flickr/glutenfreegirl

I've recently discovered how wonderful (and wonderfully easy) it is to cook and use dried chickpeas. Last week we must have had 3 different meals that used the beans I had cooked up at the beginning of the week. And now that I found that the local Indian food market sells 8lb bags for $7, I'm totally hooked!

I've read in some books and websites that you should soak the beans overnight, but other sources (including the back of a commercially packaged bag) have said nothing of soaking. And since I'm all about making things easy, I tried it without, and everything turned out fine--even soft enough to mash up for falafels.

So, sort the beans of any stones or impurities, rinse, and then put in a large pot filled with water leaving only about 2 inches at the top. Salt. Then bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. It will simmer about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on the water level and when the beans are soft, you're done! 1 cup dried beans will yield approx. 2 cups cooked beans, etc. You can store in its liquid in the fridge and then use within a week. And just think of all of the money (and salt) you're saving by foregoing the store-bought cans. Awesome.

Moroccan-style Chickpea Soup

This soup is truly wonderful. Try it as the recipe says and you won't be disappointed, but it's also very forgiving when you are flexible with the ingredients. The other day I was completely out of ginger....different, but still tasted great. No saffron, no problem (I save mine for company--it costs an arm and a leg, you know!). Once I added a 28oz can of tomatoes, once I added tomato juice in place of some of the broth--we've liked it everytime. Besides, what's not to love about a recipe that takes only 30 minutes and helps you get through the abundance of garden zucchini that you'll soon be producing. Enjoy!

Moroccan-Style Chickpea Soup
from Cook’s Illustrated The Best 30-Minute Recipe book

Serves 6

This soup can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. You can also substitute yellow summer squash for the zucchini, if desired.

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (15.5 oz.) cans chickpeas, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 zucchini, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 lemons, quartered (for serving)

MAKING THE MINUTES COUNT:
While the onion browns, prep the zucchini and cilantro.

1. HEAT BROTH MIXTURE: Bring broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, saffron, and ½ teaspoon salt to boil, covered, in large saucepan and set aside.
2. SAUTE ONION: Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened and slightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. SAUTE AROMATICS: ADD BROTH MIXTURE AND ZUCCHINI: Stir garlic, ginger, and cumin into pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth mixture and zucchini, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.
4. SEASON: Stir in cilantro. Off heat, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lemon wedges.

Chickpea Burger

We had this for dinner tonight and can I just say yum! It was really good. I loved the mint/parsley combination, much better than I expected. I was super excited to be able to get them out of my garden too. Yay! Now if those dang tomatoes would hurry up a little faster. Anyway, I liked the sauce on the burger, but would suggest cutting that recipe in half. Also, we just ate ours on buns.

This is from The Big Book of Vegetarian: More Than 225 Recipes for Breakfasts, Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Main Dishes, Sides, Breads, and Desserts by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

CHICKPEA BURGER WITH TAHINI SAUCE
Serves 8

Tahini Sauce
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 green onions (white and light green parts), finely chopped
1/4 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Two 16-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and well drained
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons tamari or reduced sodium soy sauce
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
8 pita pocket breads
2 cups shredded lettuce

Make the tahini sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine the tahini, lemon juice, green onions, water, salt and pepper to taste, and cayenne. Process until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little more water or lemon juice. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper, and process until finely ground. Add the lemon zest, parsley, mint, and tamari and process until just blended. Transfer to a medium bowl.

In a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the cumin, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the onion mixture and flour to the chickpea mixture and mix well.

Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2 inch thick patty. If grilling, coat the grill rack with vegetable oil spray, then preheat the grill to medium. If sauteing, coat a large, nonstick skillet with vegetable spray and heat over medium heat. Lightly coat the patties on both sides with vegetable oil spray. Place the burgers on the grill or in the skillet and cook until golden brown and heated through, about 5 minutes per side. Fill the pita pockets with lettuce and a burger, drizzle with tahini sauce, and serve.