Baba Ghanoush

Ingredients

• Medium Eggplant - 1
• Tahini - 1 1/2 tbspn
• Lemon Juice - 2 tspn
• Garlic - 2
• Pepper - 1/4 tspn
• Salt to taste
• Paprika, parsley & olive oil for serving

health tip

Eggplant is an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin B1, B6 and potassium. It is also a good source of copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin and folic acid. The skin is rich in antioxidant called Nasunin which helps nourish the brain cells.

Baba Ghanoush

method

1. Roast the eggplant on the stove top till the skin is charred.
2. Place the roasted eggplant in a cookie sheet & bake it at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.
3. Peel the skin & dice the flesh when the eggplant is cooled
4. Roast the garlic & place it in the food processor along with diced eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, pepper & salt. Blend it till smooth. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl & drizzle it with olive oil, paprika & chopped parsley.
5. Serve the Baba ghanoush with pita bread or with falafal.

Falafal Sandwich

Ingredients

• Soaked chickpeas - 2 cups
• All purpose flour or maida - 2 tspn
• Small Onion - 1
• Garlic - 3
• Baking soda - 1/4 tspn
• Coriander powder - 1 tspn
• Cumin powder - 1 tspn
• Chilli flakes - 1/2 tspn
• Parsley - 2 tspn
• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

health tip

Chickpeas or channa is rich in Folate, dietary fiber( with skin on), Protein, B Vitamins & Iron. Beans & legumes are a good substitute for meat protein. High fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal making these beans especially a good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.

Falafal

method

I was hooked to falafals after having falafal sandwiches at Maoz. Since then I wanted to make them at home. At first, I tried with instant falafal mixes but they did not taste like the ones I had at the restaurant. Therefore, I searched for falafal recipes in the net & experimented with few of them. After couple of trials & adjustments I am finally satisfied with this one. Please go ahead and try this recipe & let me know your comments. This recipe will produce 10 medium sized falafals.

1. Soak the beans overnight. It doesn't have to be cooked. Cooked beans make the Falafal soft & fall apart while frying. This is also the reason why we should not go for tinned beans.
2. Chop the garlic, onion, coriander & parsley leaves coarsely. Add it to a food processor along with other ingredients & soaked chickpeas. Grind them all coarsely with out adding water.
3. Add approximately 1/2 tspn or more of salt & mix well. Leave the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
4. Take the dough out after 20 minutes of refrigeration & make equal sized balls & flatten them to 1 inch vadai. Fry them in hot oil. This recipe yields 11 falafals.
   

   You may freeze falafal for future use. To freeze them, arrange the vadai 1 inch apart in a freezer safe container & place the container in the freezer. To thaw & fry the falafal later, place the frozen falafal in a microwave safe plate & microwave them for a minute or two. Fry them as usual.

   
   
5. You may serve fried falafals as part of a sandwich. You can make yummy sandwiches with pita bread, falafal and hummus. You will need to first spread the hummus on the pita and then add falafal patties to it along with lettuce, tomato, onion and olives.

Hummus

Hummus is a middle-eastern dip made with chickpeas. There are so many varieties of hummus like roasted garlic hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, cilantro hummus...etc. The main ingredient in all of them is chickpeas. It can be used as dip for pitas or as a spread for falafal. It is mixed with a paste called Tahini which is nothing but a sesame paste. You can either buy it from grocery store or make it at home. You can find it at Indian stores, Middle-eastern store or at Walmart. I found it easier to make it at home, so I am giving you the homemade recipe too.
Tahini
White sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Olive oil or vegetable oil - 1/8 cup or half of quarter cup

Method
Dry roast the sesame seeds till it turns golden colour.

Let it cool. Grind it in a blender with the oil. This will be like a thick sauce. This can be stored in fridge for three months. This is what you get from grocery store. Thick consistency is needed for making hummus. To make it thinner add some water & continue blending. This thin sauce is used to drizzle over falafal sandwich. Shelf life of thin sauce is shorter because of added water. It can be stored for 3 days in  refrigerator.

Hummus 
Cooked chickpeas - 1 cup
Tahini -1/2 cup
Roasted garlic - 3 cloves
Lemon - 3/4
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method
Place the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice,seasonings & some water in a blender.

Process until smooth, adding little more water if necessary. Transfer the contents into a shallow bowl. Mix some olive if you like. This can be stored in a fridge for one week. While serving as a dip garnish it with some paprika, black olives & parsley.