Falafel With Pita and Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

I have found that one of the ways to economize whilst cooking is to prepare vegetarian recipes. I used to think this meant that you just used more cheese. Now I use beans and try to come up with as many ways as I can to disguise them, so that my family doesn't know that we're eating beans three times a week. Today, I will be sharing my recipe for falafel, pita and yogurt sauce.

Ingredients:

1 15oz can of Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 bunch of cilantro
1 1/2 small or 1 large onion(s)
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 large lemon
1 large egg
Sea Salt
All purpose flour
1 Cup Plain Yogurt
2tsp or 1 package fast acting yeast
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Canola Oil (for frying)
Warm water
Fresh chopped tomatoes for garnish
Peeled sliced cucumber or shredded lettuce for garnish

If this seems like a lot of ingredients, remember, this is for the whole meal!
I rarely use recipes, unless it's the first time I've made the dish. The amounts you see in the pictures are tripled to feed my large family and have (yum) leftovers.

Let's get started!

Turn on your oven to it's highest setting without it being on broil (about 500 degrees Fahrenheit). If you have a pizza stone, this is the perfect tool for making pita bread. If not, you can use a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet or pizza stone in center of oven and leave it in while the oven heats up.

I do all of the chopping at the same time and set it aside.
Start with the onions. Chop 1/2 small onion into large chunks and put into the blender. Cut remaining onion into small dice. Put half into a small bowl for garnish. The other half will be put into a medium bowl for the yogurt sauce.










Coarsely chop half of the bunch of cilantro. Place into the blender with the onion. Fine chop the other half of the bunch, discarding the stems, and place into the medium bowl for the yogurt sauce.
Slice your cucumbers and dice your tomatoes, and set aside.

Empty the can of garbanzo beans, including the liquid, into the blender. Add the garlic clove, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 large egg. Pulse until mixture is smooth.
Then empty it into a large mixing bowl.

Add 1/2 cup of flour, and mix with a spoon. Add flour until mixture has the same texture as muffin dough.
Fill a large pan about two fingers high with canola oil.
Set mixture aside and heat oil on medium high heat.

You are now ready to make the dough for your pita. Remember to remove your rings. This gets messy!
In a large bowl, combine, 1 1/4 cups warm water, 2 tsp yeast, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt, and 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Whisk to combine. Add flour by 1/2 cups until dough consistency resembles play dough. Knead for 2 minutes. Set aside in an oiled bowl, and let rest.


Your oil should be ready to go. Drop batter by spoon fulls into hot oil.
When they've browned on one side, turn them over. When both sides are browned, remove from oil and let drain on paper towel.

















The oven should be hot enough now to start baking the pita. On a well floured surface, shape dough into golf ball size pieces and set aside to rest. When all of the dough is in little balls, roll them flat, on one side and the the other. Set aside. make sure you have plenty of flour on your disks so that they don't stick to one another.
Place into oven, and let bake 4 minutes on first side and the flip over and bake 2 minutes on the second side.











Remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes on top of the stove. Then place into a Ziplock bag, or tea towel to sweat. If you don't let them cool a bit, they will melt your bag!

You should still be frying falafel...












Add 1 cup yogurt, juice of 1 lemon, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp sea salt to the bowl containing the onions and cilantro.
When your falafel is finished frying, and the bread is finished baking, you're ready to eat!
Give yourself a pat on the back, and look at how much flour is covering your front!
Yummy!

There's Nothing Like the Smell of Homemade Bread

Ten Years ago when I was pregnant with my first son and couldn't sleep, I taught myself how to make bread. Five years later a friend shared her recipe with me. I've improved upon it, and have had dozens of people tell me it's the best they've ever tasted. Now I'm so spoiled, I can't even stand the smell of store bought bread, much less the taste. So, every week, I pull out my wheat grinder and my Bosch kitchen mixer and make five loaves of bread. In the summer, i make bread twice a week. So, here's my recipe:


Honey Whole Wheat Bread

3 1/2 cups red wheat flour
3 1/2 cups white wheat flour
6 cups warm water
3 tablespoons SAF instant yeast
3 tablespoons dough enhancer
2 table spoons sea salt
2 cups bread flour
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup honey

Mix together to make a batter.
Add by cup fulls:
7 more cups of half white wheat flour and half red wheat flour.

Knead for 8 minutes. Pour out onto oiled counter, and shape into 5 loaves. Spray 5 loaf pans with nonstick spray. Put loaves into pans and bake in preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes. Turn out loaves onto cooling rack or towel. You can butter the tops while they are still hot, if you wish.

I'd love to hear what you think about this recipe, if you try it.

Easy Quick Quiche

I love making quiche, but I hate doing the dishes. One night while sauteing the onions and garlic in a cast iron skillet, I wondered if I could just add the meats, vegetables, egg mixture and cheese all in the same pan and bake that in the oven. It turned out beautifully, and I didn't have to wash the extra pie dish and bowl from making the crust. One if the secrets to cooking cheaply, is to make everything from scratch. This often makes the process more time consuming, and you have a lot more dishes to deal with.
This quiche uses evaporated milk instead of cream. I haven't noticed a difference in flavor or texture, and canned milk can be kept in the pantry, and is a lot cheaper.
So, here's the basics:

1 medium diced onion
3 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter and olive oil in large cast iron or steel pan. Use a pastry brush to coat the sides of the pan. This will ensure that your quiche will not stick to the sides of the pan, when you're ready to serve it. Saute onion for about two minutes. Add garlic and salt. The salt not only seasons the dish, but also helps the onions to release their juices. Saute until onion is soft and begins to turn brown. This is called carmelization, and you'll notice a big difference in flavor from the onions.

1 Cup steamed broccoli
or
10 spears of steamed asparagus

Taking the pan off the heat, arrange the vegetables evenly in the pan.

1/4 lb sliced ham
or
2-6oz or 1-12 oz can(s) of salmon (no bones or skin)

Arrange meat evenly in the pan.

In medium sized bowl, whisk 7 eggs, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, 1-12oz can evaporated milk.
Pour mixture over top of vegetables and meat.

Place 1/4 Lbs sliced or grated Swiss cheese over top.

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until center doesn't giggle when pan is shaken.
Let sit and cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

I would have loved to post a picture, but it looks like the kids have taken off with my camera again!

Hello

I had a conversation with Mom today. She told me that her friend was telling her that she doesn't like the sugarless yogurts that are on the market. She expressed that the good ones were too expensive. Mom told her she can easily make her own. Mom learned this from me. There are several things that I've learned while trying to save on the grocery bill. Making yogurt is just one of them. I also make my own bread and make substitutions for expensive ingredients.
Since I've had some friends express interest. I thought I'd start this blog and share my knowledge and recipes.
So, to introduce myself, I am a stay at home mother of 5 children. My eldest is 9 and my youngest is 7 months. I am a self proclaimed foodie! I'm such a snob when it comes to food, yet, I don't have an unlimited budget to work with. So, I get creative and do research to satisfy my palate. Sometimes the kids like what I make and sometimes they don't.
I hope you enjoy reading about my food adventures.