Falafel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Here's a light summery dish that's healthy and fresh.  And bonus: if you have fresh tomatoes or lettuce growing in your garden here's a way to enjoy your harvest.  

Falafel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Serves 2 as main, 4 as side
Falafel
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
4 dates, soaked 30 min
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c almond meal
1 small handful parsley
1/4 c chickpea flour
2 tbsp sesame seeds (I used black)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Saute onion over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add garlic.  Saute for another 2 min, stirring so it doesn't brown.  Remove from heat.

Process dates in food processor until paste forms.  Add 1-2 tsp water if needed.  Add chickpeas and parsley and process until broken down but not smooth.  Transfer to bowl.  Add almond meal, chickpea flour and sesame seeds.  Stir in onion and garlic mixture.  Add lemon juice and spices.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Form into 8 patties, about the size of your palm.  Flatten each patty to 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Lightly spray with cooking spray (I used coconut oil cooking spray).  Bake for 45-55 min, flipping halfway through.  Remove and cool completely.

Dressing
1/4 c tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 clove garlic
2-4 tbsp water (to thin, as needed)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine in a food processor until smooth.

To Assemble
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1c shredded purple cabbage
1/2 c minced fresh tomato
1/4 small red onion, slivered

Arrange a handful of spinach, 1/2 c cabbage, 1/4 c tomato and a few slices of red onion on each plate.  Top with 4 falafal.  Drizzle dressing on top.  Serve immediately. Pin It Now!

Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing

This summary salad is perfect for a picnic.  It combines salty, crunchy and fresh.  And with a little kick from the smoked paprika, you can't go wrong.  It keeps well in the fridge for a few days too.  If you can find heirloom cherry tomatoes they are best, as they are sweeter and juicier than the regular variety.

Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing
Serves 4
1 cup cooked, cooled quinoa
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 english cucumber, peel on but seeds removed, diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c packed fresh mint, minced
1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp smoked paprika
salt to taste (I added 1/2 tsp as I cook my quinoa in water- if you use broth or salted water you will require less)
black pepper to taste

Combine quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, and mint in a large bowl. Mix well to combine.  Drizzle olive oil and vinegars on top and stir well.  Sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper to taste and mix well until combined. Pin It Now!

Recipe: Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Salad Sandwiches

This is a light, healthy and delicious vegan alternative to the classic egg salad or tuna salad sandwich.  It is great in sandwiches, wraps, on a salad or even on its own, and it is simple to make with only a few ingredients.

Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Salad Sandwiches
Makes 4 Sandwiches

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 avocado, mashed with a fork
1 tbsp veganaise
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
pinch of salt
pepper to taste
8 slices of bread
dijon mustard
lettuce
tomato slices

Mix avocado, chickpeas, veganaise and lemon juice in a bowl.  Mash with a wooden spoon (I use the end of a meat tenderizer) until about 1/4 of the chickpeas are mushy and the rest are still intact.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble sandwiches by spreading mustard on one side of 4 slices of bread. Add tomato slices and lettuce leaves.   Top with chickpea and avocado mixture and other slice of bread. Pin It Now!

Recipe:Smooth, Silky and Simple Hummus

I love hummus.  It just hits the spot when you need a snack.  It is also great in wraps, in sandwiches and on bagels.  This is my hummus recipe with a secret ingredient: apple cider vinegar.  It gives the hummus that zing that you might feel is missing if you have tried to make hummus before.  This is a simple recipe - throw everything into the food processor, blend for a minute or two, and, voila, its ready to eat.


Add all ingredients to the food processor.  I use canned chickpeas because its easy.  But you could prepare some dried ones if you like.  Use high quality tahini.  It really makes a difference.

Puree for 1-2 minutes until the hummus has a smooth, creamy consistency, scraping down sides of processor if necessary.

Transfer to a bowl and serve! I put the remainder in a sealed container and it lasts for a week or so in the fridge.

Smooth, Silky and Simple Hummus

1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed thoroughly
1/4 tahini
1/4 c water
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and silky.  Lasts up to a week in a sealed container in the fridge.




Pin It Now!

Recipe: Moroccan Spiced Chickpeas

It is cold and rainy today, so I wanted to make something warm and hearty for dinner.  I have also been craving chickpeas for the past few days (weird, I know).  So I decided to make chickpeas and season them with ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice mix, and ended up with this flavourful dish.

First, gather your ingredients.  I use canned chickpeas because I never think to pre-soak.  I try to buy canned chickpeas that are BPA-free (I use Eden Organics).  I'm not sure if the hype is warranted, but they are readily available and reasonably priced.  Drain and rinse your chickpeas and let them drip dry in the colander while you prepare your other ingredients.

If you don't have ras el hanout, you can make it as follows:

Ras El Hanout (makes about 1 and a half tablespoons needed for Moroccan Spiced Chickpeas recipe)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp allspice
pinch of ground cloves

Mix all the above spices together.

Next, prepare your onions, shallots and garlic.  I used a larger dice on my onions so they remained prominent in the dish, but a smaller mince on the garlic cloves and shallot so they blend better. Peel and dice your sweet potato to about a 1/4 inch dice, or larger if you want chunkier pieces. 

Saute the onions for a 3-4 minutes over medium heat until they start to soften.  Add garlic and shallots and saute for another minute.  Add spices and cook for another couple minutes.  Spices will become fragrant.

Quarter your tomatoes and put in food processor with tomato paste and 1/4c of vegetable broth.  Blend until smooth, approx 1 minute.

Add tomato puree to the onions, garlic and shallots and turn the heat up to high.  Add 1 cup of vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer.  Add peeled and diced sweet potatoes.

Add drained chickpeas, stir well.

Bring to a simmer.  Cook covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom.  Uncover after 20 minutes and cook uncovered for 5 minutes to boil off some of the excess liquid.  Add the chopped cilantro and stir well. 

Garnish with sprigs of cilantro.  This dish would go nicely with some type of naan or other flat bread, and even with a dollop of greek yogurt (if you aren't vegan).

Moroccan Spiced Chickpeas
Makes 4 servings

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 c onion, diced
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4c sweet potato, diced
1 1/2 tbsp Ras El Hanout (Moroccan spice mix - recipe below)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
3 tsp turmeric
2 tomatoes, quartered
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/4 c low sodium vegetable stock
1/4c chopped cilantro, more for garnish

Saute onion for 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and shallot and saute for another minute or so.  Add spices (Ras El Hanout, cumin, paprika, and turmeric) and saute for another 2 minutes.
Puree tomatoes and tomato paste with 1/4 cup of the vegetable sauce.  Add to the onion mixture along with the remaining 1 cup of vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn down to simmer and add sweet potato and chickpeas.  Again bring to a simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes until chickpeas and sweet potatoes are softened, stirring occasionally.  Uncover and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.  Add cilantro and stir well.  Serve in bowls and garnish with cilantro sprigs.


Ras El Hanout
Makes about 1 and a half tablespoons

1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp allspice
pinch of ground cloves

Mix all the above spices together.

Pin It Now!