FALAFEL BOWL | SUMMER BLISS

Ingredients:            Summer Dreams

Mood of the day:   Sunset and Palm Trees

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As soon as the weather gets all hot and summery most of us lose all interest in hassling and bustling in the kitchen. It’s simple, light and refreshing meals that we are after, full of flavor, easy to throw together and smartly packed with a heap of veggies and all the feel-good-look-amazing nutrients that will fill you up without weighing you down.

So, get ready to celebrate all things summer, with the perfect one-bowl meal that will get the spotlight. Set up in an assemble-your-own style that allows you to be effortlessly creative, and use up all the leftover bits, that end up taking up space in your fridge, hence more room for Vodka, you are very welcome, just drink responsibly.

You can start from scratch and soak a handful of chickpeas overnight (which really helps to get the perfect falafel texture) or you can simply get a can of chickpeas, it’ll do just fine.

If you love meal-prepping as much as food bloggers do, you can meal-prep the falafel and freeze for the busy weekdays or the no-time-to-cook-for midsummer barbeque parties that you got invited to last month but forgot about, in the midst of your summer haze.

Start with the Falafel

If you are starting from scratch, place 2 cups of dry chickpeas in a big bowl, cover with plenty of water and let soak overnight. When you are ready to make the falafel, rinse well then pulse in a food processor.

If you are using canned chickpeas we’ll meet you at this point and proceed together.

Ingredients

2 cups dry chickpeas, soaked

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 tsp cumin 

1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper 

½ tsp coriander

½ cup Breadcrumbs 

(Which you can substitute with oats or flour if needed)

2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil and a bit extra for baking 

Add all the ingredients except the breadcrumbs in a food processor and pulse until you get a crumbly dough. Scrap down the sides with a spatula to get everything evenly combined.

Gradually add the breadcrumbs a pinch at a time and pulse/mix to combine until you get a consistency that doesn’t stick to your hands and you can mold into a ball.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Grease a large baking sheet with the remaining oil. Roll the dough into balls, you can either keep that shape or flatten them into thick patties. Put the falafel on the prepared and bake until golden all over, approx. 10 to 15 minutes on each side.

Assemble your bowl.

A happy-go-lucky mindset is crucial here.

You really don’t need to overthink it. Whatever is fresh and seasonal, go for a rainbow of produce, mixed greens, juicy tomatoes and cool cucumbers, quinoa, olives, pasta or brown rice, grilled courgettes, onions, avocado or mushrooms. You are only limited by your imagination.

A generous handful of arugula, cherry tomatoes and black salty olives, cous-cous with chopped onions and lots of parsley and of course grilled pita bread which accompanies perfectly this all-in-one meal.

DRESSING:

Some things easily fall into the cliché category. 

Others are simply timeless classics that will never disappoint. 

Like a tahini dressing to go along with your falafel. 

You’ll only need three ingredients:

Whisk everything together and gradually add the water to reach a creamy, lovely consistency to drizzle over your falafel bowl. Use this as your base and experiment with different condiments if you feel like it. I added a bit of Dijon mustard to enrich the flavors and boost the spiciness.

There’s something very comforting and soothing about tucking into a bowl of good food and meal bowls are trending more than avo-on-toast for a good reason these days. It gives you the freedom to be as frugal or as extravagant as your heart desires. They make a perfect packed lunch or picnic food and they motivate a waste-not mindset as you get to use up all your leftovers.

Enjoy your bliss in a bowl!

Until the next one,

Chelf