Falafel Madness

-
The first night my parents came over to visit a few weeks ago, we had them over so I could make a raw feast for them. Given their taste for foods from all around the world, I knew I wanted to introduce them to their first 100% raw meal by doing something a little more exotic than just raw pasta or the like. After scouring my brain for my own recipes and a couple raw cookbooks, I settled on the following:
Marinated Peppers & Portobello Caps*
Soaked & Sprouted Quinoa with Saffron, Pepitas, Sundried Tomatoes, and Raisins
Matt Amsden's Falafel Balls served with Mango Chutney

*marinated in ACV, EVOO, Bragg's liquid aminos, maple syrup, and herbs 

I also served cucumber and tomato canapes with peppered raw cheese to start and a spring mix salad with walnuts, cranberries, tomatoes, and cukes served with a vinaigrette with the main meal. The result:

They loved it. In fact, they loved it so much they talked about it for the following three days. They raved about how good it made them feel (and enthusiastically agreed to eat vegan the entire time they were with us) and how it was enough food but never left them stuffed (except that night at Zen perhaps.) They were even full enough after the raw meal I made for them that I never got to bust out my raw desserts!

That was also my first time making those Rawvolution falafels and they were a definite hit. As a superb source of protein, I've made them for Andrew twice since then, usually in the form of awesome over-stuffed falafel wraps... a salad that fits into your hands, what more could you ask for? It also makes for great food to take a walk with, like ice cream cones, which is quintessential as summer begins. If you have Matt Amsden's book I highly suggest you check these out, especially with the chutney, the combination is fantastic.

Aaand, I just tried to cuddle with my cat and he accidentally headed butted me in the face causing a minor nose bleed. I guess I have to wrap it up (hehe) then. So, enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Happy Father's Day to all family men out there!

Comments

  1. Tichina BeatonJune 20, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    baahaha "wrap it up" lol I died laihing. this looks great! I've ever tried Falafel before! I can' wait t try it :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tichina BeatonJune 20, 2011 at 2:52 PM

    hahaha "wrap it up" lol I died laughing. This looks great! I've never tried Falafel before! I can't wait to try it :)- Was what that comment was surposed to say my computer is being delayed and acting funny on me sorry for the errors :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. ChantalJune 20, 2011 at 3:19 PM

    Hehe, I try to be clever like that ;) You definitely should try them, raw or cooked, whatever, they're super yummy when they're made well! (otherwise they can just be kind of stale...)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Cooking is like Piracy

-
WARNING : Recipes are like the Pirate Code, they’re just guidelines I find exact proportions in cooking totally overrated. I love the way old medieval recipes were written: they just listed ingredients and then gave you a rough idea of how to assemble them. I admire the confidence that old recipes required that you have in the kitchen, the ‘just wing it’ attitude that compels you to trust your ability as a cook. Consider this awesome fourteenth century recipe for apple pie from The Forme of Cury compiled in 1390 by the master cooks of King Richard III: XXVII For to make Tartys in Applis “Tak gode Applys and gode Spycis and Figys and resons and Perys and wan they are wel ybrayed colourd with Safron wel and do yt in a cofyn and yt forth to bake wel.” In other words, mix together apples, pears, raisins, figs and spices—probably cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and saffron—mix and put it in a pieshell, the ‘cofyn’, and bake. That’s it! Seems very low maintenance, doesn’t it? It...
Read more

Dehydrator Giveaway

-
Image
As promised, come one, come all, for my first giveaway! The winner will be selected one week from now, at 10am on Monday, June 21, 2010 . At this point and for shipping reasons, only US and Canadian readers can put in their bids this time. For your pleasure, I'm offering what every raw foodists needs: YOUR VERY OWN DEHYDRATOR! Sure a raw foodist can eat fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds, but a dehydrator is just so much fun! Owning one has completely satisfied the needs of my inner baker, and has made both Andrew's and my tummy very very happy since I got into raw foods. After one absolutely flawless year of service, I'm giving away my 4 tray Nesco Dehydrator because I'm "upgrading" to a 9 tray Excalibur once we move up to Canada. My lovely dehydrator comes with 3 fruit roll sheets , and 2 Clean-a-Screen trays . The Nesco has served my every dehydrating need: raw cookies, raw burgers, tartlet crusts, calzones, pizzas, crackers, breads, kale chips, panca...
Read more

Eat: Turmeric Milk, the perfect night time relaxant

-
Image
Oh, turmeric, you and your majestic golden hues, how you warm my nights and allow me to fall peacefully asleep, dreaming of warm humid summer nights, candles, and sequinned baldaquins... too much detail? I discovered turmeric milk thanks to my friend Kristen, who has been using it as a pre-bedtime sedative for quite some time. As someone who often has trouble sleeping, I was skeptical. As much as I love chamomile, lavender, and all the usual tricks, they haven't always worked for me. I've heard of the whole "drink a glass of warm milk before bed" idea but never tried it myself, thinking such a thing would be too heavy before bed. Yet, this new concoction won its way to my heart. Clever, turmeric, you. Turmeric, the beautiful orange spice from India, is from the ginger family. (Go figure, I love  ginger.) Ayuverda and TCM boast that turmeric is anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and helps deal with internal and external infections. Doctors have ...
Read more