Chickpea-mania (aka Mediterranean Night)

Monday night, my sister, and sometimes sous chef, Lauren claimed she was craving a middle eastern meal but, after an hour at the gym, didn't want to eat fried falafel. We thus embarked on a mission to make baked falafel patties with a healthy Israeli salad (comprised of cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh herbs and lemon juice) as well as some creamy protein-rich hummus. The result was a tasty platter that satisfied her craving and made us feel light on our feet.... all thanks to cans and cans of chickpeas!

Ingredients for Hummus

2 15 oz chickpea cans

3 tbsp tahini

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp water

2 cloves fried garlic (drop in hot olive oil to cook/brown)

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients for the hummus in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Depending on how you like your hummus, you may want to add more lemon for acidity or more tahini for smoothness. Either way, play around with it until it tastes the way you're used to having it!

Ingredients for Israeli Salad

1 large cucumber, diced

3 medium sized tomatoes, diced

2 tbsp red onion, finely diced

3 tbsp parsley

2 tbsp cilantro

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Making this salad is a no brainer; just combine everything above!

Ingredients for Falafel Patties

1 15 oz can chickpeas

4 tbsp white onion

2 garlic cloves

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp baking powder

salt and pepper to taste

Place the above ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well combined. While doing this, preheat your oven to 375 degree F.

Take about a tbsp of falafel mix and roll it into a ball, then flatten it into a flat patty. Place all of your patties in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray so they don't stick and break when you try to flip them.

Bake on one side for 15 minutes, remove, flip, and bake the other side for another 15 minutes.

Serve all your components together on a plate .. some whole wheat pita pockets are perfect for those with larger appetites (like my husband who usually needs to see carbs on a plate for it to be considered a 'real' meal)!