Quinoa Falafels

In college, I discovered falafels.  I happen to be a lover of most things fried (unfortunately for me) and eating a falafel with tons of veggies and avocado makes devouring them a bit more acceptable. As I have mentioned in the past, I am a fan of Dave Lieberman and his book;  the 10 things you need to eat, makes me like him all that much more.

Dave taught me a thing or two about quinoa. Most recipes say a 2 to 1 ratio when making most grains.  Yet, with quinoa, this rule does not apply.  However, up until acquiring Dave's book, I was no good at making quinoa and basically, gave up.  His tip: use 1 1/4 cups water to 1 cup quinoa.  Genius!

I like to make a big batch of quinoa and keep it in the fridge.  Not only do I make these amazing falafel balls, but I also love to make quinoa cakes ( similar to a veggie patty) and the quinoa breakfast cereal (here).   The cooked quinoa can stay in the fridge, for about a week. The only down side to this recipe is that they have to be eaten within a short time of making them.  They get a little soggy and don't really keep their texture nor their taste. Too bad for Miguel.  He loves to take his lunch to work and this could be one of those perfect foods.

I like to serve them with fresh whole wheat pita, homemade hummus and a huge Israeli salad!  My kids have fallen in love with these.  And getting this kind of protein in them makes me very happy!

Quinoa + Chickpea Falafel
yield: 30 balls

ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbls. olive oil
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. kosher salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 tsp. black pepper
canola oil for frying

instructions:
• combine chickpea flour, cumin, olive oil, and boiling water in large bowl. mix well with a fork to form a paste.  let sit for about 10 minutes.  add the remaining ingredients except for the canola oil.
• heat the canola oil in a small dutch oven ( i use a small le creuset) on medium heat ( you don't want to burn the oil).  using a deep frying thermometer, heat to 350*
• using a small, 1-2 tablespoon size ice cream scooper, scoop batter to make free formed balls and dump, gently into the hot oil. put 5-6 in the pot at at time.  you don't want to overcrowd the pan and you also don't want to reduce the heat of the oil. cook for about 5 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.
• drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet.  repeat with the remaining batter.
• serve at once.
• serve with warm pita, hummus, Israeli salad, eggplant dip, or whatever suits your fancy!

I like to make hummus and keep it in the house.  It is so inexpensive to make and literally takes 5 minutes from start to finish.  And in my opinion, the only way to make an Israeli salad is to chop the veggies really, really fine.  Keeping this on hand keeps me far away from the sweets!

Hummus
yield: 2 cups

ingredients:
1 15oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed twice (reserve the liquid)
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
4 Tbls. freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon
1-2 Tbls. reserved liquid
several dashes of Sriracha (Asian hot sauce)
chopped parsley

instructions:
• put garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to chop.  add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until pureed.  taste for seasoning, add kosher salt and a little pepper to taste.  sprinkle with fresh, chopped parsley.  serve with toasted pita chips and cut up veggies.

Israeli Salad

ingredients:
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 4 Persian cucumbers
• 1 red bell pepper
• 7 radishes
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• 2 Tbls. basil
• juice of one lemon
• dash or two of olive oil
• kosher salt, to taste

instructions:
• chop all veggies super small.  add to the bowl.
• squeeze lemon over veggies.  add olive oil and toss.
• season with salt to taste
• add basil right before eating!
paprika