Today let’s go to the Middle East. What do you think about falafel, roasted cauliflower and roasted eggplant, a yoghurt sauce and a tahini sauce?
For the falafel I start the day before. 350 grams of dried chickpeas from the Crete Senese will be too much for 2, but a falafel the following day, for lunch, is always great. Put the chickpeas in a large pan of water for 1 night. Drain, rinse and dry the chickpeas. Put them in the kitchen robot and mix. Add 1 onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, a handful of fresh parsley and some fresh coriander. Mix again. Add some salt, 1 table spoon of grinded cumin, 1 table spoon of lemon juice, zeste of 1 lemon. Mix again, taste and add pepper and salt.
Oil your hands and roll the chickpea balls. Put the falafels on baking paper.
Halve 1 eggplant. Make some incisions in the meat of the eggplant. Put the two halves also on baking paper.
Blanch the cauliflower for approx 10 mins.
Mix 3 table spoons of tahini paste with the juice of 1 lemon, a drizzle of olive oil and some water until you obtain a perfect smooth sauce. Add 1 table spoon of za’atar, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, pepper and salt. Brush some sauce on the eggplant and on the cauliflower.
Heat the oven at 180°. Start baking the eggplant first. After 30 mins, add the falafel and the cauliflower (also on baking paper).
Serve everything with the leftover of the tahini sauce, a low fat Greek yoghurt mixed with pepper,salt and fresh parsley or coriander. Sadly enough the Middle East is not in peace, but we appreciate their lovely food culture.
Doc V's Healthy Kitchen 