Baked Falafel

There's a restaurant near the college I went to called University Pizza and Deli that has awesome falafel. They have a mixture of foods, including many middle-eastern dishes as well as pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. Everything I've ever had from there has been really good. I made my own falafel the other night, but decided to bake it instead of fry it.  I also make a tzatziki sauce to go with it, and served it in whole wheat pita bread. I would have used 2 pieces of falafel, but I made mine just a little too big. If you want to use tzatziki sauce, I would make that ahead of time so it can chill in the fridge.

Ingredients
1/2 small onion, chopped                
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4-5 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons olive oil

Tzatziki Sauce
3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar (can also use rice wine)

2 cloves garlic, minced finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 cup greek yogurt, strained

1 cup sour cream

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Directions
1. Wrap the chopped onion in cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside.
2. Place garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed then mix the bean mixture and the onion together in a medium bowl. Stir in the flour and egg.

4.Shape mixture into four large patties and let stand for about 15 minutes.

5. While patties are sitting, pre-heat the oven to 400.
6. Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for about 3-4 minutes per side.
7.Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

For Tzatziki sauce:
1. Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving.



Recipe source: Adapted from allrecipes.com
Tzatziki sauce: Adapted from  Lynn Livanos Athan-Greekfood.about.com

Hawaiian Chicken Chili

The weather here has been a little crazy. It went from feeling like summer, to feeling like spring, back to feeling like summer.  Since it was kinda cold a few nights ago, I thought some chili would be good. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and decided to try it. There are soooo many different kinds of chili you can make. The possibilities are endless. We've had chicken chili before but not like this. I wasn't sure about the pineapple but it's actually pretty good.  If you like hawaiian chicken pizza, you will probably enjoy this.


Ingredients
1-2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast (I used a little over a pound since that was all I had left)
Barbeque sauce (for marinating chicken)
2 Tbsp butter, divided
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp sugar
1 (20 oz ) can pineapple chunks (or tidbits if you don't want big pieces)
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans,drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (16 oz jar) salsa (I used pace brand in mild)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.Place chicken in large ziplock bag and squeeze in your favorite barbeque sauce. I didn't measure, just used enough to coat all the chicken. Let marinate in the fridge for 30 mins to an hour.
2.Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in skillet and add chicken. Cook until chicken is browned and cooked through. Cut into bite size pieces and than transfer to large pot.
3. In same pan, add remaining Tbsp of butter and cook onions, garlic, and bell pepper for about 5 minutes or until onion is softened.
4. Stir in the the tomato paste, all of the spices, vanilla, and sugar. Cook for another 2 minutes or so and transfer to same large pot as chicken
5. Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice.
6. Add the juice, beans, tomatoes, and salsa to the large pot
7. Simmer for about an hour or so and add the pineapple about 15 minutes before you want to eat

Serve with green onions, oyster crackers, and cheese if desired.



Recipe Source: adapted from Allrecipes.com

Jamaican Red Bean Stew

I found a recipe for this stew while searching for some vegetarian recipes I could make. It sounded pretty good and we haven't had soup in a while so I decided to try it. I upped the spice content a little from the original I found since I like bold flavors and it turned out really great. Plus, it was really easy. The weather has also been great so I decided to eat outside on our deck and use the new coral colored placemats I bought (yay!)   My flowers from a floral class I took over the weekend still looked ok so I set those out there as well. Looking forward to more great weather this week!

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 (14.5 oz) can plain diced tomatoes, drained

2 1/2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

2 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed( I actually only had one can of kidney beans so I used a can of pinto beans)

1 can of coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen brand and it was 13.66 oz)

1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

Directions

1. Add oil and garlic in crockpot and let cook for a few minutes on high

2. Add in in the carrots, green onions, sweet potatoes and the tomatoes

3. Stir in all the spices

4. Add the beans, broth, and coconut milk

5.Cook on high for 2-3 hours or cook on low for 4-6 hours

Recipe source: Adapted from Savvy Vegetarian

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

We're still going strong with our vegetarian meals during lent. I originally had planned to make something with eggplant tonight, but when I cut into the eggplant I bought only a few days ago, it was all yucky. Boo. I was going to make these black bean burgers later this week, but oh well. At least I had everything to make them tonight!

The first time I suggested these to the hubby, I think his exact words were "that's disgusting." But I made them anyways.  He was a big skeptic but wound up actually really liking them.  I felt like I had made a huge acomplishment!  It definitely doesn't replace a real hamburger, but it's yummy and it's good for you. This is another one of those recipes that I don't have the original source for. I googled it but couldn't find the exact one I have. I have a typed up recipe in my book and don't know where it came from. But I did put my own spin on it anways so technically it could be my own recipe:)


Ingredients
2 cans of reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 egg
3/4 cup of panko style breadcrumbs (don't use regular breadcrumbs)
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp of chopped green onions
4 slices of pepperjack cheese

Directions
Take about half of the beans and place in a food processor for a few seconds or until it forms into a paste.  Scoop out into large bowl and add in the whole beans.  Mix together and mash up a little more with a fork or potato masher.

(Looks gross but trust me the end result is good!)

Add in egg and panko and mix until combined. Add in rest of spices and herbs.  Using hands, make 4 seperate burger patties about 1/2 inch thick. Place in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 and pre-heat a skillet (I used cast iron). Cook burgers in skillet for about 6-7 minutes per side or until a slight crust starts to form on the outside.

Top with slices of pepperjack cheese and transfer to oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and burgers are heated through.  Serve on a whole wheat bun with onions, tomato, and avacado slices.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are so many different ways you can make stuffed peppers. In my previous pepper post, we used Poblanos and stuffed them with rice and chicken. This time I used Bell Peppers and stuffed them with quinoa and black beans. I also used some of the hot sauce we had left from our wedding. We had a Mexican Buffet and gave our guests bottle of hot sauce we had personalized to say "Harper's Hotsauce." 

This is a really good vegetarian recipe and since lents start next week and we are giving up meat again, we will probably keep this on our list of things to make.

Ingredients
4 medium to large bell peppers (any color)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can of diced green chilies
1 cup of shredded cheese (such as cheddar or monterey jack or mexican style)
1 ½ tbsp of lime juice
¾ tsp of cumin
½ tsp of chili powder
½ tsp of kosher salt
¼ tsp of pepper
3 tsp of hot sauce

Directions
Cut tops off of bell peppers and scoop out insides. Place in a microwavable and oven safe dish deep enough to fit peppers. Fill dish with about a cup or so of water depending on dish size (there should be about an inch of water).

Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes or until peppers are softened.  Remove peppers from dish, discard water, and place peppers back in.

Cook quinoa according to package directions.Cook onions and garlic in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Mix onions, garlic, and rest of the ingredients into the cooked quinoa. Stuff each pepper with a couple spoonfuls of the mixture and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, jalapeno slices, and extra hot sauce if desired.

(These are the hot sauces we gave out at our wedding!)

Recipe source: Harper's Original

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

I love black beans. We eat a lot of beans, but I probably use black beans the most. You can make so many things with them. Soup, dip, salsa, burgers, and of course enchiladas just to name a few.  I've made some different versions of enchiladas but this time decided to use black beans and chicken.  I also used corn tortillas which to me have a really good flavor. Sometimes you just gotta change it up and use something besides the regular flour ones.  Fish tacos on corn tortillas are really good too!  And anytime I get to use avacado is a plus. I absolutely love them. I guess I just love food in general if you can't tell! For this dish, I really just threw a bunch of stuff together and luckily it turned out.

Ingredients

Corn tortillas (I used 10 total-made a big pan and little one)  

Cooked and shredded chicken ( I think I used about 3/4 lb)

1/2 cup of chunky salsa

1 can of reduced sodium black beans, drained

1/2 cup of sour cream, plus more for topping

1 cup of shredded Mexican style cheese, divided

1 tsp of lime juice

1 tsp of cumin

1/4 tsp of garlic powder

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1 Tbsp of chopped, fresh cilantro

2 cans of red enchilada sauce

Green onions, avacado slices, and hot sauce (Tapatio) for topping

Directions

Pre-heat overn to 350. Mix chicken, salsa, beans, sour cream, 1/2 cup of cheese and rest of ingredients in a large bowl. 

 Heat up corn tortillas by cooking for a few seconds on each side in a skillet with a little olive oil. Or take about 3-4 at a time and wrap them in a damp papertowel and microwave for about 30 seconds. Heating them helps prevent them from tearing too easily. While tortillas are heating up, cover the bottom of pan with some enchilada sauce. When tortillas are done, fill each one with a few spoonfuls of mixture and place seam side down into pan with enchilada sauce.

Top enchiladas with more enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup of cheese.  Bake for about 20 mins or until cheese is melted and sauce starts to bubble. Top with green onions, avacado, sour cream and hot sauce if desired.