Homemade Falafel

Homemade Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups roughly chopped white onion
6 garlic cloves
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
1 cup lightly packed parsley leaves
1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup all-purpose flour
Canola oil, for sauteing 
Pita bread, for serving
1¼ cups plain yogurt (full fat or non-fat)
¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 90 min (includes chilling time)

Cook Time: 6 min

For the falafel:

For the tahini sauce:

Add the onion and garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor and pulse just until they are finely minced. Remove the mixture and set it aside.

Add the chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, salt, chili powder, and cumin to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until they are roughly blended but not pureed.

Return the onion mixture to the food processor, along with the baking powder and just enough flour so that when you pulse the processor, the mixture begins to form a small ball and is not sticky. (Note: Start by adding ¼ cup of flour, and then the remaining ¼ cup. You can add more if the mixture is still too wet.)

Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour.

While the falafel mixture is chilling, prepare the tahini sauce by whisking together the yogurt, tahini and lemon juice. Season it with salt and pepper, cover it and place it in the fridge.

Once the falafel mixture has chilled, use a small ice cream scoop or spoons to form the mixture into balls (roughly 3 Tablespoons per ball). (Note: You can also add additional flour at this point, if the mixture is too wet to scoop.)

Set a large sauté pan over medium heat and add a liberal amount of canola oil so that the pan is well-coated. Let the pan pre-heat for 3 minutes then add the falafel one by one, browning them on the first side for 3 minutes, then flipping them once and browning the second side until the mixture is cooked throughout.

Transfer the falafel to a paper towel-lined cooling wrack and immediately season them with salt. Repeat this process until you have cooked all of the falafel.

Place three or four falafel inside a halved, warmed pita and drizzle with the prepared tahini sauce.

Recipe and picture from Just A Taste.

Sriracha Chicken Salad

This looks so yummy and easy to make!

1 deboned rotisserie chicken

1 bag coleslaw

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Sriracha to taste

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and enjoy! 

Makes approximately 8 servings.

Recipe and picture from Kristen's Losing It Blog.

Acai Bowl

I'm going to dive into the Acai Bowl trend as soon as I move. This looks so easy to make!!

How to Make a Homemade Acai BowlMakes 1 bowl
Ingredients1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 Sambazon unsweetened acai smoothie packs, thawed for 30 minutes or run under hot water for a few seconds
1/2 large frozen ripe banana
1 tsp honey or agave nectar (vegan if using agave nectar)
2/3 cup frozen mixed berries*
1/2 cup granola or cereal*
*You can great creative with your toppings.  These are simply my go-tos.  I often see people topping their bowls with fresh banana slices, shredded coconut, nuts, and/or seeds.
Directions1. Place almond milk, acai smoothie packs, banana, and honey or agave nectar  into high-powered blender.
2. Blend until well-combined and all chunks have disappeared.  The texture will be similar to a very thick smoothie.
3. Poor acai mixture into bowl and top with desired toppings.  I always select frozen mixed berries and granola for mine.
Recipe and photos from Clean Eating Veggie Girl.

“Fried" Honey Bananas

Fried Honey Bananas

Serves 1

1 slightly under-ripened banana, sliced

1 tablespoon honey

Cinnamon

Olive oil

Lightly drizzle olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Arrange banana slices in pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.

http://rachelschultz.com/2013/05/15/fried-honey-bananas/

Cilantro Chili Chicken Skewers

Cilantro Chili Chicken Skewers

2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken thighs or breast meat
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, mince
3/4 bunch fresh cilantro (save remaining for garnish)
1 teaspoon salt & pepper
Sweet chili sauce for basting

Cooking Process:
Soak skewers in water for at least 20 minutes to prevent burning.
Cut chicken into 1" cubes and place into bowl.  Add olive oil, garlic and cilantro in a food processor and pulverize. Pour the marinade into the bowl with the chicken, add teaspoon of salt and pepper and marinate overnite if possible.
Preheat the grill to medium heat and coat with oil. Remove chicken from the refrigerator and put 5-6 pieces of chicken on each skewer.  Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Brush chili sauce on chicken just before done cooking to create a nice glaze.

http://cookinghawaiianstyle.com/index.php/hawaiian-recipes/recipes/detail/2654/cilantro-chili-chicken-skewers

Chicken Paprikash

Chicken Paprikash

  

1/4 cup canola oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika, plus more for sprinkling

1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds, ground

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

2 bay leaves

2 thyme sprigs

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the paprika, caraway and flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the stock, bay leaves and thyme sprigs, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are very tender and the sauce is thickened, about 1 hour.

Add the chicken to the sauce and cook over high heat until just white throughout, about 6 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Spoon the chicken into bowls, and top with sour cream. Sprinkle with paprika and serve.

NOTES One Serving 257 cal, 10 gm fat, 1.5 gm sat fat, 11 gm carb, 2.3 gm fiber.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-paprikash

Cauliflower Shepards Pie

Cauliflower Shepards Pie

Cauliflower Shepards Pie

For the meat filling

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chopped parsely
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas
salt and pepper
splash of milk
white cheddar (optional)
butter (optional)
chives

for the cauliflower mash

2 heads cauliflower, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Chop 2 heads of cauliflower and place in large pot of water to boil

3. While the cauliflower is boiling, sauté onions and carrots in the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until they begin to get color.

4. Add garlic and stir to combine then add lamb, salt, pepper, and cook until brown. Then sprinkle the meat with the flour, stir and cook for another minutes.

5. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, and parsley and stir to combine.

6. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer about 10 minutes.

7. Add the corn and peas to the lamb and spread evenly into individual ramekins or an 11.5 by 8 inch baking dish.

8. Put boiled cauliflower in food processor and season with salt pepper and butter if you wish ( I also added a splash of milk)

9. Top lamb mixture with cauliflower – and sprinkle with white cheddar and chives. Bake until golden brown and bubbling about  25 minutes.

http://vancityfoodie.com/2012/11/24/cauliflower-shepards-pie/