Baked Falafel

Baked Falafel

Baking falafel gives us a healthy alternative for this Middle Eastern classic.

 

This dish is vegan and gluten free.

 

 

Ingredients

 

 15 oz can garbanzo beans

2 tablespoons chickpea flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

 

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans.  Mash the garbanzo beans with a potato masher until they reach a paste like consistency.  Add all of the remaining ingredients, except the olive oil, and mix well.  Shape the mixture into golf ball size rounds and flatten slightly.  Drizzle a cookie sheet with the olive oil and preheat the oven to 425.  Place the falafels onto the cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping once after 10 minutes.  Serve with hummus or tahini.  Enjoy!

Poblano and Cheese Arepas

Poblano and Cheese Arepas

I have found yet another use for polenta... Arepas!  Polenta makes the arepas creamier than the traditional, fluffy style and they are super easy to make.

Other filling options could be spinach, onions or tomatoes!

 

 This dish is vegetarian and gluten free.

 

Makes 12 Arepas

 

Ingredients

1 cup of yellow corn meal (polenta)

5 cups of water

1 tablespoon parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 Poblano peppers

12 oz shredded, chihuahua cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring four cups of water to a boil.  Add the yellow corn meal and simmer.  You will need to stir the mixture very frequently.  Simmer this mixture for about twenty minutes, slowly adding the last cup of water throughout.  Add the salt, pepper and parsley.  Keep stirring :)  When the polenta begins to pull away from the walls of the pot, you are ready to put it in a cylinder container to shape.  If you don't have a cylinder tupperware, you can also use a glass.  Place the polenta filled cylinder into the fridge for at least two hours.  This can also be done the day before.

Okay, now that your polenta has solidified, we can cut it into 24 slices.  Preheat a oven to 450.  Place the sliced polenta onto a cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Cook for 45 minutes, flipping the polenta slices halfway through the process.

Slice the poblano peppers, discarding the seeds and the veins.  Saute the sliced peppers in one tablespoon of olive oil until they are soft and have a nice caramel color.

Now that the polenta slices and the poblanos are cooked, it's time to assemble our arepas.  Each arepa will consist of 2 polenta slices, 1 ounce of chihuahua cheese and about a 1/4 cup of the poblanos.  I find that it works best to start with 1 slice of polenta, then add 1/2 ounce of the cheese, followed by your peppers, then another 1/2 ounce of the cheese and finally the other slice of polenta.  This allows for the cheese to get melty and hold the whole thing together.  Serve with a side salad or some refried beans.  Enjoy!

 

Tofurky Panini

Tofurky Panini

This hot sandwich is nutritious, delicious and easy to make!

Substitute your favorite soy deli slices and cheese to personalize this panini.

 

 

Ingredients

 

2 slices of wheat bread

4 tofurky deli slices

1 ounce muenster cheese

1/4 cup fresh baby spinach

1 small roma tomato, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

  Directions

 

We are going to assemble our paninis from the bottom up.  Start with one of the slices of wheat bread and top it with 1/2 ounce of the muenster cheese.  Next add the slices of tomato and the baby spinach.  Follow that with the tofurky slices and the remainder of the cheese.  Top with the 2nd slice of bread.  Preheat a pan to medium heat.  Place 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in the center and place the sandwich over the oil.  Pour the rest of the oil on top of the sandwich.  Cook for about 4 minutes on each side.  Use a spatula to press down on the sandwich.  This will help keep all of the ingredients in tact and make it into a panini.  Enjoy!

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Garlic and potatoes are a match made in heaven! This delicious side dish is vegan and gluten free so everyone can enjoy it.

 

Substitute your preferred milk or potato to make this dish your personal favorite.  

 

 

 

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

4 medium red potatoes

5 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

We are going to keep the skins on our potatoes for this dish, so be sure to clean them really well.  Chop up the potatoes into 2 inch size pieces, place into a pot and cover with water.  Bring the water to a boil and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

Peel the garlic cloves and lightly saute them in a pan with the olive oil.  You want the garlic to cook slowly and barely get brown.  This should take about 5 minutes.  Remove the garlic from the pan and place on a cutting board.  Salt the garlic and use a knife to spread the garlic into a paste.  Place the garlic paste into a small bowl with the remaining olive oil from the pan and mix thoroughly. 

When the potatoes are fork tender, drain the water and mash the potatoes.  Add salt, pepper, and parsley.  Add the almond milk, a little at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Combine the garlic paste into the mashed potatoes.  Enjoy!