Falafel

Here is a picture of a perfect falafel. Well, falafel balls, with hummus and a pita on the side. But not everyone can make a perfect falafel ball, and today I came as close as I ever have with this: You might not be able to see the similarities, but if you had seen my previous attempts at falafel you would be shocked at how well these turned out. So I thought I would share the secrets with all of you. - Falafel Balls: 1 16oz can chickpeas 1/2 onion, chopped into small pieces 2 cloves of garlic, chopped into small pieces 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon cumin 1 egg 2 Tbsp-1/2 cup flour Salt Pepper Oil for frying (I like to use olive oil) - Mash drained chickpeas (I used a blender) to a thick paste and add garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, and salt and pepper (to taste). Add egg and make sure all is mixed/mashed together. - This next part is the key. I had never used flour before and my falafel balls always fell apart. Add enough flour to make the chickpea substance thick enough to be able to roll a ball (but ball will still be slimy). My recipe called for 2 Tbsp but I used at least a half a cup. Add enough that you can make ball-like shapes. - Next, fry the falafel balls in about 2 inches of oil. Before I always boiled them in oil, but that was also a big disaster. Today I fried them in much less oil and it worked out much better. - These are beautiful pitas. And delicious. - Pita: - 1 package yeast 1/2 cup warm water 3 cups white flour 1 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp granulated sugar 1 cup lukewarm water - Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy. - Combine flour and salt in large bowl, make a small depression in middle, and pour yeast water into it. - Slowly add 1 cup lukewarm water and stir until elastic. - Knead for 10-15 minutes, then place in a bowl after coating outside (of dough) with vegetable oil. - Let rise for 3 hours or until doubled in size. - Preheat oven to 500 degrees. - Pinch off small balls and roll into a pita shape (about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick). - Bake each circle (I put 4 on a baking sheet) 4 minutes, then turn over and bake for 2 minutes. - I would NOT suggest using wheat flour. I used wheat flour today and they came out looking like this: Round two was much better: - Hummus: - 1 16 oz can chickpeas 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas 3-5 Tbsp lemon juice 1 1/2 Tbsp tahini (optional--I like it better without) 2 cloves crushed garlic 1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp olive oil - Drain chickpeas and set 1/4 cup liquid aside. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for 3-5 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth. My blender didn't get it quite as smooth as I would have liked. But it was still good. I personally like it better without the tahini paste, but it is good either way. - Cucumber Dill Sauce: - 1 6oz container plain yogurt 1/2 cucumber-peeled, seeded, and finely chopped 1 tsp dried dill weed salt and pepper to taste 1 Tbsp mayonnaise - Combine all ingredients. This is good to use in your falafel or just as a dip for your pita (or mix in with your tomato cucumber salad). - Cucumber Tomato Salad: - 3 tomatoes, chopped/cubed 1 large cucumber, chopped/cubed 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 Tbsp lemon juice to taste 1/4 cup olive oil (1/2 cup feta cheese--optional) - Mix all ingredients together and put on your falafel. If you want to eat the salad plain, I would suggest adding the crumbled/cubed feta cheese, but not if you put it on your falafel. - If you've never eaten a falafel before, what you do is rip a small section off the top of the pita and then open it. Put in hummus, salad, lettuce (optional), cucumber dip, and falafel balls. And then eat. You can also dip your pitas in the hummus or cucumber dip or any other combination. Although they aren't like what you can buy in the Middle East, they are still pretty good! :)

Thai Massaman Curry

While Sam and I were still dating, I asked him one day what his top 10 favorite foods were. Thai Curry made the list. I had never really heard of it before, let alone tasted it. So when he requested Thai Curry for his birthday dinner a few months after we were married, I went to an Asian Market in Provo to get the ingredients and the instructions on how to make it. I actually ended up getting a small recipe booklet from the market with several Thai recipes in it. This dish is simple, flavorful, and fairly inexpensive to make. Both of us love it! If you can't find the needed ingredients, see if there is an Asian market somewhere nearby--not only will they most likely have what you are looking for, but their prices will probably be significantly lower as well.

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3 Tbsp. massaman curry paste

1 can coconut milk

1-1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-size chunks

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

3 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. tamarind liquid

1/3-1/2 cup roasted peanuts or cashews

5-6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into stew-size chunks

On medium heat, put vegetable oil in a pot, then add masaman curry paste. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 can of coconut milk, stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until red bubbles appear. Add chicken and stir-fry for about 5-8 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut milk and 3/4 can of water (using coconut milk can). Add potatoes, fish sauce, tamarind liquid, and nuts. Simmer 30 minutes.

If it's too thick, add a little water. If it's too runny, simmer longer to thicken it. Remove from heat and serve over prepared jasmine rice (this is sticky rice). Jasmine rice tastes way better than regular rice, but regular rice will work in a pinch. If it's too spicy/not spicy enough for your liking, adjust the amount of curry paste.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I normally refer to sweet breads as cake. All that oil, sugar, and white flour can make even the most hardened zucchini-hater appreciate a little "zucchini bread." And there's nothing wrong with that. I enjoy a good squishy cake-bread slice sometimes. In fact, I generally prefer that to supposed health food recipes. I like to eat what tastes good, what can I say? But when I found this banana bread recipe on my ward's recipe blog, I knew we had a winner. Just try it and decide for yourself.

(See the original recipe by Charity James here.)

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Mix well:

2 C whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

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Mix then add to dry ingredients

1 1/2 C mashed bananas (don't skimp here; if you don't have quite enough, you can make up the difference with applesauce)

1/4 C plain yogurt

1 egg

1/3 C honey

3 Tbsp oil

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Beat until smooth. Bake in greased pan at 350 for 50-60 min.

Delicious hot or cold!

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Substitution tip: If you don't have plain yogurt, you can add a tsp of lemon juice to milk and let it sit for 10 min.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

These are the perfect summer food. About the time bell peppers go on sale, you can also get sausage for pretty cheap, and this dish just begs to be made. Ryan and I love this, and Peter munched his down as well.

(Just a note about the picture - the lettuce, all varieties, is from our own garden {yummy!}, and I'll post the banana bread recipe next. It's the same one a few of you tried this week.)

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Stuffed Bell Peppers

original recipe from Utah Deal Diva here; I made several adjustments

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Ingredients (to make 6)

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Variety of Bell Peppers (I like to choose colors to contrast with the tomatoes - yellow, green, or orange are good, but get what's on sale)

1 C quinoa, measured dry

1 lb sausage

2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded

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Directions

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1. Cut a thin slice off the top of each pepper and clean out the seeds and membranes (save the flesh from the slice and chop it up). Then cover the peppers with water and gently boil for 5-10 minutes until soft.

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2. Cook the quinoa according to directions. I like to cook it in broth - just mix a beef bouillon cube in with the water.

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3. Brown the sausage with the chopped onions and pepper slices. Then stir in garlic, salt, tomatoes, and cooked quinoa and continue cooking until it's all warm.

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4. Stuff the mixture into the softened peppers and place in a casserole dish. If you can stand them up - great, but most of the time I end up just laying mine down carefully. Cover and cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

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5. Remove cover, sprinkle on cheese, and cook an additional 15 minutes.

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Quick tip: If you're short on time, you can reduce the baking time to 30 minutes total, just take the cover off and sprinkle on the cheese for the last 10 minutes. If you're going to do this, let the peppers blanch a little longer in step one to make sure they're nice and tender.

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Substitution tip: You can, of course, use ground beef or turkey in place of the sausage, and rice instead of quinoa (like Jessica did in the original linked above). It will have less flavor then, so I suggest adding a little more salt and garlic, and maybe a shake of crushed red peppers and some italian seasonings like basil and/or oregano.

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Toddler Variation

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I believe in helping my kids "grow up with respect to eating," so I don't like to make a completely separate dish for Peter. Still, there are some things that I don't feel comfortable plopping down on his high chair tray as is quite yet. In an effort to help him get accustomed to "grown-up food" without giving him a tummy ache, I occasionally make minor adjustments to his serving. If I do this, I'll make a note at the end of the recipe for the benefit of other toddler moms. (Yes, I know Peter is not technically a toddler yet, but he eats more like one than an infant.)

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Spoon some extra stuffing (make sure the sausage is well broken up) into the casserole dish along with the peppers and cook like normal (don't forget the cheese!). Then stuff it in potatoes - for this dinner I just made a small serving of instant mashed potatoes in the microwave, made a "volcano," and filled it with the stuffing. If you have leftover mashed or baked potatoes, use those instead. Peter munched it down with gusto.

Baklava

I found this recipe online here and changed it a little. It is really good, quite easy, and looks and tastes like you spent hours on it. :) - 1 pound chopped mixed nuts (you can combine or use a single kind of nuts) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough 1 cup butter, melted 1 cup white sugar 1 cup water 1/2 cup honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (lemon juice will also work) - 1. Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack to fit the dish (if necessary). 2. Place three sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle several handfuls the nut mixture on top (nut mixture should completely cover the phyllo dough and be about 1/4 inch thick). Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes. (If you put butter on the top layer-especially on the edges-the corners don't poke up so much when it is cooked.) 3. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, until golden and crisp. 4. While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon zest, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. 5. Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.

Banana Muffins

These muffins are from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook. They are so quick and easy, and they have the most moist, dense texture, which we love.

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3 bananas, mashed

1 cube butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

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Combine and spoon into a muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Gingerbread Breakfast Bars

(original recipe from Vocalpoint, greatly adapted to be my own)

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Preheat oven to 350, spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

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Sift together:

1 3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

12/ tsp ground allspice

1/2 c packed brown sugar

(you could also use a packaged gingerbread mix)

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Beat together:

1 large egg

1 1/4 c lukewarm water

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Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened, then add:

3 c granola cereal (buy it or make your own)

dried fruit (I like currants, but raisins, craisins, or other small, soft fruit will work)

chopped nuts (optional - my granola already had some)

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Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 30-35 minutes or until bars spring back when pressed with fingertips. Cool, then cut and serve.

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They store great in the fridge for several days. This works great as a hearty addition to breakfast, or they are perfect for a grab and run snack to tide you over. I keep them in the fridge and eat one for my mid-morning re-fueling. Ryan calls them super oatmeal cookies. Whatever you like.

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Tip: I like to double the dry ingredients at the top and save half to make it quicker to put these together next time. Just store in an air-tight container in your pantry.