Falafel sandwiches

Pita bread
Cucumber
2 Tomatoes, chopped
small amount of shredded green cabbage
chopped romaine or fresh garden lettuce
sweet onion sliced thin, in rings
Red pepper, roasted, seeded, peeled & chopped
Hummus (see recipe below)
Tahini Sauce (see recipe below)
Falafels from mix (see recipe below)
Grilled eggplant (see recipe below)

Hummus

 1 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
 1/4 c. tahini (sesame-seed paste)
 3 T. lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
 2 lg cloves garlic, pressed
 1/2 t. ground cumin
 1/4 t. coriander
 dash of cayenne (optional)
 salt to taste

 Drain beans, reserving liquid.  Place in food processor or blender with
 other ingredients and 2-3 tbsp. of liquid. Process until the mixture is
 smooth, adding liquid until desired consistency is reached.  Adjust
 seasonings with more cumin, lemon, or salt.


Tahini Sauce

  1 cup yogurt
  2-4 Tbs tahini
  2 Tbs lemon juice (juice from one small lemon)
  2 medium or 1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
  1/4 tsp ground cumin
  1/4 tsp coriander
  dash cayenne

  Combine the lemon juice and garlic, then blend in the tahini a
  little bit at a time to form a smooth cream sauce.

  Add water or tahini to arrive at desired consistency, and salt to taste.


Falafels From Mix (see Felafel salad recipe)

Grilled Eggplant

  Choose a firm bright heavy purple eggplant. Remove the green and trim the
  ends. Slice 5/8" thick. Put the cast iron griddle on medium heat. After 10
  minutes or so (to give the griddle time to let the heat soak in) add some
  olive oil and lay the slices on. After a few minutes rotate the slices; after
  a few more minutes turn the slices. Try not to let them get dry and leathery.
  Remove to plate, if wet drain excess oil on rack.
  (It also works well to cube the eggplant, toss with olive oil, and oven roast. 375 or 400, stir every 10-15 minutes until eggplant is soft.)

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      Ingredients for falafel

      15-19 oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans,drained (you could also soak your own)
      1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
      4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
      2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
      2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour
      2 teaspoon cumin
      3/4 teaspoon baking powder ( 1/2tsp + 1/4tsp or 3×1/4 tsp)
      salt & pepper
      2-3 tablespoons olive oil (you could try another type if you wish)

      Ingredients for tahini sauce
      1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
      4 gloves garlic, minced
      3/4 teaspoon salt ( 1/2tsp + 1/4tsp or 3×1/4 tsp)
      2 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
      1/4 cup lemon juice
      2 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
      2 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped
      1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
      1/2 tablespoon warm water

INSTRUCTIONS

   1. For the falafel
   2. Start by preheating the oven to 350 and drizzling the oil evenly in a shallow baking pan (we used a small glass baking pan/casserole dish).
   3. Next, mash the chickpeas/garbanzo beans. You can use a food processor, but we used a spoon,potato masher, and our blender. This way requires more work and depending on your blender it might mean doing it in a couple of batches to make sure the chunks of chickpeas/garbanzo beans are gone.
   4. Add onions and garlic and blend some more.
   5. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and you should get a thick paste-like consistency. Spoon out the mixture and roll (using your hands) into walnut size balls and place in preheated baking dish. Flatten the falafel a little. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flip the falafel halfway through baking.
   6. For the tahini sauce
   7. You can use a food processor to combine the garlic and tahini but we just used our blender.
   8. Then add salt, parsley, cilantro, and cumin to the mixture.
   9. Next, add olive oil, lemon juice, and water. If the mixture is too thick slowly add more warm water until you get the thickness that you like.
  10. Now all you have to do is take your favorite pita bread and top it with your favorite toppings ( greens/tomatoes/onions/etc) add the falafel and tahini sauce. AND don’t forget to add some hot sauce. That puts it over the top. We love Cholula hot sauce (especially the garlic version). And voila!