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.