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Happy Monday!
I will tell you one thing. I am 100% Italian, and I love Italian food, but what I like the most is Middle Eastern cuisine. Anything with chickpeas, yoghurt, mint and pomegranate….I’m in!!! I eat chickpeas (or other kinds of legumes) every single day. Maybe that’s unhealthy? I think I’d still do it anyway.
I know that real falafels are fried and made starting from raw chickpeas but here is my quick and baked version!
Notes:
- for the pitas I followed Spices ‘n’ Flavors’ recipe, which makes 10-12 pita breads. I cooked all of the dough and stored the leftovers in a plastic container in the fridge. Then just reheated them in the oven
- my falafel recipe only makes about 10-12 falafels so you could double that, if needed
- I think black hummus not only tastes amazing but also looks badass, but of course you can also use the regular one or any other kind
HOMEMADE PITA W/ QUICK BAKED FALAFELS, BLACK HUMMUS AND ROASTED PEPPERS {vegan}
by Marta Giaccone
Recipe
about 10 falafels / 3 servings
Pitas
3 pita breads (I followed this recipe)
Baked falafels
1 can cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp evoo
3 tbsp lemon juice
pinch salt
½ tsp ground cumin
handful fresh parsley
handful fresh coriander
handful fresh mint
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp chickpea flour
Method
- Roughly chop onion and garlic.
- Put all ingredients (except for chickpea flour) in a food processor and pulse until combined. If it reaches a “hummus” consistency, you’ve gone too far, leave some small chunks (if it happens, no worries, just, slightly chunky is better).
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the chickpea flour, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix. You should yield a texture that is easy to shape into small patties.
- Turn on oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil it.
- With slightly oiled palms, take a walnut-sized piece of the mixture, shape it into a ball, then slightly flatten it. Place on baking tray and repeat. Brush with olive oil, then bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway. Let cool.
- Once your pitas are ready, partially slice them in 2 and fill each with lettuce leaves, 2-3 falafels, hummus, roasted pepper (find recipes below), a few slices of cucumber, and top with a drizzle of mint yoghurt.
Black hummus
1 can of chickpeas
2 tbsp black tahini (find recipe here)
½ a garlic clove (or more, to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of ½ a lemon
salt
Method
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas, then add them to the glass of a blender. Add all other ingredients and a tiny bit of water. Start blending and add a little bit more water only if needed. Blend until very creamy. Taste and add more of any ingredient as desired.
Roasted peppers
2 bell peppers
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Wash and pat dry the peppers. Wrap each in foil (making sure they are tightly sealed), place on a rimmed tray/dish and bake for approx. 30-40 mins or until completely soft (every once in a while open the oven and, with the back of a fork, gently push down the peppers to feel their texture. When they’re done, they should be very wrinkly and slightly burned. Open up the foil wrap and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
- When they reach room temperature, you need to remove the stem, seeds, the white part inside and – most importantly – the skin! This should be very easy (and satisfying!)
- I like to preserve them by layering them in a bowl or jar with olive oil and garlic. Feel free to add other herbs or spices. They keep in the fridge for a few days!
Yoghurt with mint
125 ml plain soy yoghurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely grated
pinch salt
a few mint leaves, finely chopped
Method
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir.
Extra ingredients
1 cucumber
a few leaves of lettuce
fresh mint leaves
