Baked Falafel Wraps

As most of you know the deal in my house goes like this: I can live at home rent free (as a budgeted graduate student this deal can not get any better) as long as I make dinner five nights a week. I really struck gold on this deal; my family keeps a vegan diet in the house (hooray for health!) and I'm able to expand my recipe index one dinner at a time. Well, I've been slacking hardcore lately. I missed two dinners last week, because some extremely important opportunities, or what not, came up. And by opportunities I mean, a cookout with my childhood best friend's family and a Girls season finale night- in which I needed to be away the whole night to both mentally prepare for this finale, and then stay up talking about it after with my girlfriends. I'm a busy gal, what can I say. Anyways, I got the guilt trip from my mom not long after my missed dinners: "I don't care so much about the dinners, but I miss spending time with you". Dagger to the heart. My Mama Bear misses me. So I buckled down and decided to make her a dinner she would love, and I'm pretty sure I succeeded- this dinner was spot on.

Falafel
1 15oz BPA-free can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro and parsley mix (or either or, depending on your taste)

1/4 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons chickpea flour

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 

Toppings:
*If you're gluten-free, use a GF wrap or omit the wrap and serve over a salad instead

Tortillas (I used habenero lime soft tortillas from Trader Joes, which were to die for)

Arugula, or other preferred lettuce

Tomato, sliced

Cilantro/Parsley for garnish, optional

Tahini sauce
2 heaping tablespoons tahini paste
2 tablespoons vegan mayo
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons Franks hot sauce, optional
1-2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons dried dill
Water, to thin, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine all falafel ingredients in a food processor until it forms a 'dough ball'. Using a small scoop, make small rounded balls, flatten slightly, and place on a prepared baking sheet that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

While your falafel are baking, make the tahini sauce. In the food processor combine all ingredients until smooth. Add a little water to thin it if necessary. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Place in fridge to allow flavors to marinate.

Heat the tortillas in the oven for a minute before assembling. Lay each tortilla on a plate, sprinkle with a bed of arugula, tomato slices, and two or three falafel patties. Drizzle with the tahini sauce garnish with the cilantro and parsley before serving.

Makes 10-12 mini falafel patties

*I recommend doubling the tahini sauce recipe since it was such a big hit with the falafel.

Recipe adapted from One Green Planet

Rainbow Vegetable Soup

Sometimes you're just sick of the kale salad, and the roasted carrots, and the sauteed zucchini and you just really want a perfect vegetable soup, you know? That was me the other day. I wanted a soup that would warm me but not leave me heavy, one that not only had flavor but also different textures. This soup turned out perfect and will be on my soup rotation from now on.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
5 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds (1/3 of an inch thick roughly)
1 medium to large zucchini, washed and cut into half moons (1/3 of an inch thick roughly)
1 tablespoon herbs de providence
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 can lentils (BPA-free)
3 tomatoes, diced
2 cups water
3 cups dark vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 large bunches of kale (I used one red one green bunch)


In a large stock pot over medium heat add the oil, once hot toss in the onions, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the onions become translucent. Toss in your carrots, zucchini, herbs de provence and tarragon and continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes. Next add in your drained and rinsed lentils, tomatoes, water, vegetable broth, mustard, Braggs, and vinegar. Stir to combine, pop a lid on the stock pot and bring to a low boil, then reduce down to a simmer. In the meantime, wash your kale, de-rib it, and rip the kale into bite sized pieces. Add the kale to the simmering soup (I know it looks like a lot but it shrinks down, honestly), stick the lid back on and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes, the kale should have shrunk down by now. Let the soup rest over no heat for an hour (this allows the flavors to marinate) before reheating and serving.

Original recipe collaboration between me and Erica Sanes

Zesty Roasted Asparagus

Once again this brilliant recipe comes from my friend Anna. Seriously girl, can't you open up your own restaurant already?? This dish will definitely be a side at our vegan thanksgiving this year! Oh, and Anna, even though I know you'll be spending the holiday in KY with your family, just know my family has extended the offer. Clearly the way into our hearts is with food!

1 bundle asparagus, trimmed and washed

Olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder, plus extra for later

Salt

Lemon, cut in half

2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Preheat your oven to 425°F. 

Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (I use a coconut oil non-stick). In a bowl drizzle some olive oil (a few teaspoons) over the asparagus, then sprinkle the garlic powder and salt to taste, and the juice from half a lemon, toss to incorporate. Lay your seasoned asparagus out on the prepared baking dish and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. If you're using pencil-thin asparagus adjust your cooking time to 8-10 minutes. 

Once the asparagus are out of the oven allow to cool slightly, then sprinkle the nutritional yeast over top, along with another pinch of garlic powder, extra lemon juice, and salt to taste. Give the asparagus a good toss so the seasoning is well distributed, arrange on a dish and serve.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Who can say no to a stroganoff? Clearly I can't. I can't say no to anything that falls into the comfort food category. This is so ridiculously easy, and creamy, and delicious! It can be made with or without gluten just by replacing a few ingredients. I made it GF, because I was accommodating someones diet, and it came out perfect.

12 oz box of egg-free ribbon noodles (I couldn't find any that were egg-free so I used brown rice casarecce pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
16 ounces portabella mushrooms, sliced thick
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups vegetable broth, preferably vegan beef flavored if your health food store carries it
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (whole foods carries it!)
1/4 cup all purpose flour (I used garbanzo bean flour)

1 cup cashew sour cream (to make this you will need 3/4 cup raw cashews, 3/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar)

Cook your pasta and set aside. In a saute pan over medium heat add the olive oil, once hot add the onions and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are translucent and the water from the mushrooms cook out. Add garlic to the pan and saute for another minute. Pour veggie mixture into a bowl and set aside. 

In a blender combine the cashew cream ingredients, blend until smooth. You want it to be the consistency of heavy cream, or slightly thicker. It's not an exact science, you may need to adjust the amount of water, etc. 

In the same pan that you used for the onions and mushrooms add the broth and bring it to a boil. Add salt to taste, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in the flour and continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Lower the temperature, stir in the mushroom mixture from earlier along with 1 cup of the cashew cream. Serve over the pasta.

Recipe from worldmom12