Mediterranean Goodness!
January 6, 2012
I have always loved Mediterranean food. In fact, I once had a goal to learn to make dolmas. After some lengthy research I decided some things are meant to be store bought! I was very excited this year when I found out our Christmas Eve theme was Mediterranean! Perfect time to try out some new recipes.
After some digging around on the internet, I found a recipe for falafel that was highly rated and reviewed. It turned out to be just about perfect! I’ve made it twice now and it’s virtually fool-proof. I love falafel; it is one of the many items that make Mediterranean food so vegetarian friendly. This is from allrecipes.com and I highly recommend it:
Sean’s Falafel
1 (15 oz) can drained garbanzo beans
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 dash pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder
t TB olive oil
1 cup dry bread crumbs
oil for frying
in a large bowl mash the garbanzo beans until thick and pasty. I used a plastic potato masher. In a blender (I used a food processor) process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Add to garbanzo beans and mix.
In a small bowl, combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into garbanzo bean mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add the bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together. Form into golf ball size balls then slightly flatten.
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Heat 1 inch of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until browned, flip then fry on other side.
This makes about 15 falafel balls.
Then, mix up some super easy Couscous:
2 cups cooked couscous
1 Chopped cucumber
1 Diced tomato
1 Chopped small red onion
Juice of a lemon
Dash of Olive Oil
Fresh mint leaves (1/4 cup or so)
Salt
Mix all ingredients together. Add more lemon juice if needed.
To turn this into a meal, serve with:
Pre-made dolmas. They sell excellent ones at my local Fred Meyer in the section with the stuffed olives. At Market of Choice, they are in the deli section. And I’ve seen them at Costco as well.
Hummus
Tzatziki
Pita and/or flatbread
Crumbled feta
Caramelized sweet onion
Roasted garlic cloves and mushrooms
Stuffed Green Olives
Shredded Lettuce
Salad Dressing (You can find some fun greek salad dressings, or balsamic vinegar works well, too.)
This is a very fun meal for a casual group get together! Throw everything on large platters and let people make their own meals!
