Falafels by Nasser

I love falafels (I also love chickpeas). While I was studying in Jerusalem in college, we had some great falafels while touring Israel.

This recipe comes straight from the head chef at the Jerusalem Center, Nasser. It is the best one I've tried, so I hope it works for you too. I tried to go a little healthier and baked, instead of fried, the falafels, and they still turned out great.

And the great thing about this meal is you can eat make peanut butter sandwiches out of the leftover pitas, or my kids ate them with butter and jam on them. At any rate, this gives you some versatile leftovers.

(recipe via Stephmodo)

1 lb. garbanzo beans/ chick peas

1 oz. parsley

3 medium onions

5 cloves garlic

1 tB. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tB. cumin

Soak garbanzo beans/chick peas for 24 hours. Drain. Grind them on the fine setting of a food processor. Grind them again, this time gradually adding parsley, onions and garlic. (I sauteed the onions in a little olive oil until they were clear before adding them to the food processor). Grind one more time. Add salt, papper, cumin and baking soda. Mix all together and shape into balls. Deep fry.Serve with pita bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles, hot sauce mixed with chutney, french fries and/or eggplant.

Pita Bread

(recipe via mideastfood.com)

1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

Preparation:Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of lour and pur yeast water in depression.Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic.PLace dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer stick and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded. Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated. Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size. Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick. Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags. Storing Pita BreadPita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer.

Yogurt Dill Dipping Sauce

(recipe via myrecipes.com)

1 cup yogurt, low-fat strained (Greek-style)
1 clove garlic (small, minced)
1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel (finely grated)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a small bowl, mix yogurt with garlic, fresh dill, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. (I used Dannon plain yogurt and dried dill. I also didn't add the lemon peel.)