Cauliflower Tabbouleh

The first time I saw Tabbouleh, it was a magical moment. Instantly, my eyes were draw to its vibrant colors and distinct aroma. My stomach told me, "Must consume that, now!" I did, and it was good. Oh, so good.

Of course, my digestive system disliked this wheat-infested dish, and I suffered much pain afterward, but it was all worth it (well, maybe that's going too far). But truly, Tabbouleh is a delicious concoction of ingredients that make it crisp, clean, and refreshing.

And now I can have it whenever I want, because I discovered that Tabbouleh can be made with cauliflower! Yes, it's true. Hoorah! Although it is not "traditional" per se, it still tastes of all things great in traditional Tabbouleh.

You may ask yourself, is this Lebanese dish spelled as "Tabbouleh, Tabouleh, or Tabouli"? Many may argue which is most correct, however I love what someone (named Sebaali) said about that: "What's important is the recipe, not the spelling."

Cauliflower Tabbouleh [grain-free, dairy-free]

Salad

1 medium to large head cauliflower, processed in the food processor (see below)

5 green onions, thinly sliced

4 to 5 tomatoes, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 small bunch fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Dressing

2 to 3 lemons, squeezed

--zest of those lemons (optional)

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

ground cumin (to taste)

Directions

Cut off the stems of the cauliflower, cut into chunks, and place in the food processor. Process the cauliflower for 10-20 seconds, or until it resembles pieces about the size of bulgur wheat grains. Place processed cauliflower in a large bowl. Add in the green onions, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and mint. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Pour over the salad and stir. Allow Tabbouleh to sit and marinate for at least 10 minutes, so that the flavors meld together.

Falafels

Falafels are balls or patties made from ground chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans). Falafels are served in some sort of flat bread--pita bread is popular, but lavash bread can also be used. Falafel balls are topped with greens, vegetables, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. They originated in Egypt and is often considered the national dish of Israel. These fritters are now found all over the world and are a popular street food.

First things first: make the flatbread.

Flat Bread

(You can call this pita bread, but I think "flat bread" is WAY cooler).

• 1 1/8 cup warm water
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

1. In a large bowl, mix together the water, sugar, oil, and yeast. Proof the yeast in this mixture for 5 minutes, until it is frothy. 
2. Add in the flour and salt. Knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
3. Oil the bowl and cover the dough with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. After rising, divide the dough into balls (there should be 8 balls). Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Stretch each ball into a flat disk. Let those rise for another 20-30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Set a cookie sheet into the oven so it gets hot.
6. Bake 2 disks at a time on your heated cookie sheet. Bake these for about 5 minutes, flipping them at about 2 1/2 minutes. They should be slightly golden and should puff up.
7. Immediately place the bread into a bag to keep it soft.

After kneading.

After rising for 1 1/2 hours.

Form into rolls. Let rise again for 30 minutes.

Stretch into disks.

Bake for 5-6 minutes on a hot cookie sheet inside the oven.

Now time for all the fixin's.

 

Baba Ghanoush

Baba ghanoush is an Arab dish of eggplant mashed and mixed with seasonings. The eggplant is roasted (baked) before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste. It is often eaten at a dip. It is popular in Egypt, and for this reason I decided to make it for my falafel wraps. I decided to make my baba ghanoush more like a roasted eggplant hummus, and oh my heavens, it was divine.

• One eggplant
• 2 cups chickpeas, canned or cooked (and drained)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 dried red chili
• salt and pepper
• paprika and cumin
• 2 tablespoons ketchup (I know this is a weird ingredient to add, but I promise that it is vital to the flavor of this baba ghanoush)

1. Roast the eggplant in the oven at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. 
2. Place in a plastic bag and let sweat for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, puree the chickpeas with the tahini, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil. Mix until smooth.
4. Peel the skin from the eggplant. Scoop out the pulp AKA guts :)
5. Once the chickpea mixture is smooth, mix in the eggplant pulp. 
6. Add in the dried red chili. Puree in the cilantro and parsley. Mix in the spices. At last, add in the ketchup.
7. Adjust seasonings to taste.

 Garlic. Very good for you plus. Eat it. Everyday.

 Oh how I love garlic.

Roasted eggplant.

Let sweat in a bag for about 30 minutes.

Peel off the skin and scoop out the guts. Well it looks like guts anyway.

Mix into the Baba Ghanoush.

Falafel Vinaigrette

This stuff is really yummy. Use as a drizzle for your falafel wraps.

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• a couple leaves of fresh mint (or a pinch of dried mint)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• a touch of fresh parsley and cilantro
• 1 dried red chili
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• salt and pepper
• ground cumin and coriander

1. Puree all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

 

Okay, now comes the fun part!

Falafels

• 1 cup bulgur wheat, soaked for 24 hours
• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours (or canned and drained)
• 1/4 green onions, pureed
• 2 cloves garlic, pureed
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch chili powder (or cayanne)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

1. In a food processer, chop the chickpeas until they reach the consistency of bread crumbs. This step is vital. Your chickpeas should not be creamy or it will make for mushy falafel balls. Make sure they are not pureed.
2. Place minced chickpeas into a large bowl. 
3. In the food processor, puree the green onions with the garlic. Add to the chickpea mixture.
4. Process the soaked bulgur wheat in the food processor until pasty and sticky. You want your bulgur wheat to be pureed and smooth. This acts as the glue that will hold your falafels together.
5. Place pasty bulgur wheat into chickpea mixture. Stir all of these things together. Mix in the cilantro, parsley, and spices. 
6. Your falafel mixture should be slighty sticky, but not too sticky. You should be able to form balls out of your mixture. 
7. Stir in the baking powder and let mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. The baking powder will fluff up your falafel mixture.
8. At this point, you should test your falafel texture by frying some balls in hot oil. If you like the texture, leave it be. If you want it less mushy, add in a handful of breadcrumbs or cornmeal (even quick oats worked for me). 
9. You can let your falafel mixture rest in the fridge overnight for a more consistent texture.
10. When it is time to eat, form balls out of your falafel mixture and fry in a small pot filled with hot oil. I found that when my stovetop was set to medium to medium-low is when the falafels fried the best. (Note that they should sizzle right as you place them in the oil.)
11. Place a few falafel balls in the hot oil and fry until golden brown to a rich brown color. Retrieve them from the pot with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.

*To serve your falafel wraps: Spread some baba ghanoush on a piece of flat bread. Fill your wrap with 3-4 fried falafel balls, some fried potatoes, fried eggplant, chopped tomatoes, fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, caramelized onions, fresh onions, spring mix, etc. Drizzle with the falafel vinaigrette. Eat and feel like you've died and gone to Heaven.

Making the falafels.

Stir it all together

Garnishes and Stuffings: fried potatoes, fried eggplant, caramelized onions, tomatoes, raw onions, cilantro, parsley, baba ghanoush, falafel vinaigrette.

My friend, Tennyson, frying up some falafels.

Raw falafels. Vegetarian/Vegan and healthy.

Fried falafels. Not as healthy, but oh so delicious.

Falafel party!

Yum.

Base layers

Fold like a taco.

 Scrumptious.

Greek Salad

This past summer, my family and I traveled to San Francisco. We ate out for almost every meal. I wanted to eat as healthy as possible while on this trip, so I usually ordered some type of salad with my meal wherever we ate. At one pizza place, I ordered a Greek salad. I fell in love. The combination of the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, kalamata olives, marinated chicken, feta cheese, and Greek dressing made my mouth go "yum" and my stomach happy.

Marinated and grilled chicken.

Garlic toast.

Tasty.

Greek Salad

For the chicken:

• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• A couple good pinches salt
• 10 grinds black pepper
• 4 (6 to 7-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of your chef's knife
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 pinches salt
• 10 to 15 grinds black pepper

For the salad:

• 1 to 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. To marinate the chicken: In a dish, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix together. Add the chicken breasts to the dish and rub both sides in the mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
2. To make the dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a resealable container and shake vigorously, or blend in a blender. Refrigerate until ready to serve, and then bring to room temperature before tossing salad.
3. Assemble the salad: Cut the lettuce into 1-inch strips and place in a bowl that is large enough to hold all the salad ingredients comfortably. Scatter cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and feta over the top. You can prepare the salad up to a few hours in advance. Cover it with a moist paper towel and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
4. To cook the chicken: Heat a nonstick skillet or grill pan over high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning once, until well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Let the chicken rest on a cutting board for a few minutes before slicing it into thin strips.
5. Give the dressing a good shake and pour it into a nice little serving bowl, using the lid to strain out the garlic (omit this step if you used a blender).
6. Toss salad just before serving and fan chicken out on top.

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