Falafel

I love me a good falafel. I don't know what about it but it is satisfying to me. For awhile after we were married I bought falafel mix and we would have it for our Sunday Lunch. Lee wasn't a fan but he was accommodating. My sister said I was crazy to spend that money on a gross mix. I guess it took me 6 years to listen to her :)
The other day after I made some Hummus from this Alton Brown recipe. In the recipe Alton has such an easy way to cook the garbanzo's I don't think I will go back to canned EVER. I got a whole crock pot full of garbanzo's for about a buck. The hummus was great but I thought I would mix it up a bit with the leftovers and try out some falafel. I scoured the Internet and made this combination of a number of recipe's. I really liked it. I do have to say the one's I over cooked were the best....extra crispy. I served it with the sauce from my Chicken Slouvaki. If you make the sauce and you can use Greek yogurt you won't be sorry :) I wrapped mine in a high fiber wheat tortilla, my family had theirs in wheat pita. Don't forget fresh tomato, crisp lettuce, and a little red onion....mmmm. My family loved it!

Falafel
15 oz cooked chickpeas (garbanzos)....either cooked from scratch or if you must canned
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup parsley chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 whole egg, and 1 egg white
2 tsp ground cumin
1 cilantro cube (I bought these awhile ago in the Mexican section, they are like chicken bullion cubes. VERY nice to have on hand. If I have fresh cilantro I would have used about 3 TBSP instead)
1 tsp salt
pinch cayenne
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup panko
olive oil for browning
In a bowl mash chickpeas with a potato mashers. Don't throw them in the food processor or they get gummy and not as good, chunks are good. Throw onion, parsley, and garlic in the food processor or blender until smooth (if your kids hate onion they won't even know it is there :). Mix with rest of ingredients and chickpeas (go easy on the panko, I didn't use the whole cup). I formed about a dozen balls then flattened them. Put a little olive oil in the pan. Heat to medium high and brown on each side. Most falafel is fried in about an inch of oil. I think it is good with just a bit of oil and browning them. Your call though :) Assemble your wrap, pita while still warm.

LIGHT Chicken Slouvaki

FIRST of all...does YOUR costco have these lovely tortillas (you can see the bag in the background)? They are SO high in fiber and LOW in net carbs. For someone watching their weight and blood sugar they are WONDERFUL. They have a great flavor. I have been subbing them for bread or pita. There is so much fiber in them that one fills you up! I found this recipe on the food network awhile ago. It has become a family favorite (and a mama favorite because I can whip it up in 15 minutes)! The recipe is by Sandra Lee but I have made some changes (mostly because I never have 5 bucks to spend on fresh dill :). Chicken Slouvaki

• 1 Tbsp dry dill


• 1 Tbsp chopped garlic


• 2 tsp Italian seasoning


• 1 Tbsp lemon juice


• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil (I go a little less)


• 1 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper


• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken cut in strips or chunks

Mix all but the chicken together then add the chicken. Let marinate 30 minutes to overnight (I am always about an hour). Once you have it to this point it goes QUICK! In a large skillet add chicken mixture. Cook until cooked through (about 10 minutes). While it is cooking you can cut your toppings. We like purple onions, tomato, lettuce, and Tzatziki sauce!

Best (and easiest) tzatziki sauce

• 
  
  1 cucumber seeded and diced fine


• 
  
  1 Tbsp dry dill


• 
  
  8 oz plain yogurt


• 
  
  2 tsp lemon juice


• 
  
  2 tsp hot sauce (I use Frank's sauce. My kids think 2 tsp is too hot (although I like it) for them I go with one)


• 
  
  salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and set in fridge until ready to serve.

PlayDOUGH!

I am on this NO TV kick. I just can't stand the TV on. There are no kids in our neighborhood and Keaton doesn't go to pre-school so he gets a little bored. My friend Allyson shared this cool blog with me full of kids ideas. No Time For Flash Cards is a pretty cool place to visit. I hope I go there a lot to keep this little guy busy and off the TV. I made her favorite play dough recipe today and they have been playing for 2 hours.....aaahhhhhh. Keaton even helped me mix it up. It is such a smooth nice playdough. Enjoy!

P.S. I did have some better shots of Savannah smiling but this one of Keaton was priceless :)

NTFFC Favorite Playdough

(measure everything EXACT)

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 c salt

3 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp alum (why I had this on hand I am not sure :)

2 cups boiling water

food coloring of your choice

Mix together and you are done! If it is too oily add more flour (that will make it dry out faster though....mine was perfect as is after it cooled) if it is too sticky add more oil.