Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothie

Yield: 1 to 2 servings

Time: 5 minutes, plus time to freeze the bananas

2 frozen bananas
1 cup milk or non-dairy milk
¼ cup creamy natural peanut butter
¼ cup coconut milk
3 pitted dates

Put the bananas, milk, peanut butter, coconut milk, and dates in a blender. Process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Tahini

Yield: 3 cups

4 cups sesame seeds
1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Spread the sesame seeds on a shallow baking tray and bake, shaking frequently, until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Do not brown.

4. Cool.

5. Put the sesame seeds in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade.

6. Add the vegetable oil.

7. Process to a smooth paste, about 5 minutes.

8. Add more oil if necessary, to bring the paste to a thick pouring consistency.

9. Tahini will keep stored in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for several months.

Bagels

Yield: 10 to 12 bagels
Time: 4 to 16 hours, mostly unattended

4 cups all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast or one ¼-ounce packet active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup barley malt syrup
Oil for greasing the bowl and pan

1. Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add 1½ cups warm water—about the same temperature as the inside of your wrist—and 2 tablespoons of the barley malt syrup. Stir with the dough-hook attachment of a stand mixer or by hand until combined.

2. Knead the dough with the dough-hook attachment of a stand mixer or by hand until it feels smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Grease a large bowl (it’s fine to use the same one you mixed the dough in), add the dough, and turn it over to coat it lightly with oil or butter. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, put it in a warm place, and let the dough rise until doubled in size, at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.

3. Grease a baking sheet with oil. Punch down the dough, then scoop about ⅓ cup of it into your hand, shape it into a 4-inch ring, and put it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, put it in a warm place, and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Heat the oven to 425°F, and put 6 cups of water in a large pot over high heat. When it boils, add the remaining 2 tablespoons barley malt syrup and adjust the heat so it simmers steadily. Add three or four of the bagels to the boiling water and cook, turning once, until they are firm and golden, 1½ to 2 minutes. Remove the bagels from the pot with a slotted spoon and return them to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining uncooked bagels.

5. Bake the bagels until they are evenly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Falafel

Ingredients

• 1 pound (about 2 cups) dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
• 1 1/2 tbsp flour
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Vegetable oil for frying (grapeseed, canola, and peanut oil work well)

You will also need

• Food processor, skillet

• Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight. They will double in size as they soak – you will have between 4 and 5 cups of beans after soaking.
• Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans well. Pour them into your food processor along with the chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, flour, salt, cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom.
• Pulse all ingredients together until a rough, coarse meal forms. Scrape the sides of the processor periodically and push the mixture down the sides. Process till the mixture is somewhere between the texture of couscous and a paste. You want the mixture to hold together, and a more paste-like consistency will help with that... but don't overprocess, you don't want it turning into hummus!
• Once the mixture reaches the desired consistency, pour it out into a bowl and use a fork to stir; this will make the texture more even throughout. Remove any large chickpea chunks that the processor missed.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
• Note: Some people like to add baking soda to the mix to lighten up the texture inside of the falafel balls. I don’t usually add it, since the falafel is generally pretty fluffy on its own. If you would like to add it, dissolve 2 tsp of baking soda in 1 tbsp of water and mix it into the falafel mixture after it has been refrigerated.
• Fill a skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches. I prefer to use cooking oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. Meanwhile, form falafel mixture into round balls or slider-shaped patties using wet hands or a falafel scoop. I usually use about 2 tbsp of mixture per falafel. You can make them smaller or larger depending on your personal preference. The balls will stick together loosely at first, but will bind nicely once they begin to fry.
• Note: if the balls won't hold together, place the mixture back in the processor again and continue processing to make it more paste-like. Keep in mind that the balls will be delicate at first; if you can get them into the hot oil, they will bind together and stick. If they still won't hold together, you can try adding 2-3 tbsp of flour to the mixture. If they still won't hold, add 1-2 eggs to the mix. This should fix any issues you are having.
• Before frying my first batch of falafel, I like to fry a test one in the center of the pan. If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the center. Cool the oil down slightly and try again. When the oil is at the right temperature, fry the falafels in batches of 5-6 at a time till golden brown on both sides.
• Once the falafels are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon.
• Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafels fresh and hot; they go best with a plate of hummus and topped with creamy tahini sauce. You can also stuff them into a pita.
• Troubleshooting: If your falafel is too hard/too crunchy on the outside, there are two possible reasons-- 1) you didn't process the mixture enough-- return the chickpea mixture to the processor to make it more paste-like. 2) the chickpeas you used were old. Try buying a fresher batch of dried chickpeas next time.
• SESAME FALAFEL VARIATION: After forming the balls or patties, dip them in sesame seeds prior to frying. This will make the falafel coating crunchier and give it a slightly nutty flavor.
• HERB FALAFEL VARIATION (GREEN FALAFEL): Add ½ cup additional chopped green parsley, or cilantro, or a mixture of the two prior to blending.
• TURMERIC FALAFEL (YELLOW FALAFEL): Add ¾ tsp turmeric to the food processor prior to blending.
• EGYPTIAN FALAFEL: Use 1 lb. dried peeled fava beans instead of chickpeas; cover them with cold water, soak them for at least 24 hours, then drain and rinse. You can also use a mixture of fava beans and chickpeas if you wish; just make sure the weight of the dried beans adds up to 1 lb.
• After the beans are soaked and rinsed, add the Classic Falafel ingredients to the processor along with the following ingredients – 1 leek, cleaned, trimmed, and quartered; ¼ cup chopped dill; ¼ cup chopped cilantro; and an additional ¾ tsp cayenne pepper. When mixture is processed to a coarse meal, pour into a bowl. Stir 2 ½ tbsp sesame seeds into the mixture with a fork until it’s evenly dispersed throughout the mixture. Refrigerate and proceed with frying. If mixture seems too “wet” when making the falafel balls, add additional flour by the teaspoonful until the mixture sticks together better. Continue with frying.
• HOW TO MAKE A FALAFEL PITA: Making a falafel pita is actually really simple. The two main ingredients are pita bread and falafel.
• Cut the pita bread in half to form two “pockets.” Each pocket is a serving size. Stuff the pocket with falafel, as well as any add-ons you fancy.
• Here are some traditional add-ons that can be added to your pita; these are the ingredients most widely available at falafel stands throughout Israel:
• Tahini sauce
  Shredded lettuce
  Diced or sliced tomatoes
  Israeli salad
  Onions
  Dill pickles
  Hummus
  Tabouli
  French fries
  
• Here are some less traditional add-ons that are also tasty:
• Sprouts
  Cucumber slices
  Roasted peppers
  Roasted eggplant slices
  Sunflower seeds
  Feta cheese
  Yogurt
  Tzatziki

Mashed Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/4 - 1/3 cup scallions, sliced
1/4 cup or so hummus or tahini (any vegan mayo works too)*
1 - 2 tablespoons mustard (stoneground or dijon)
sea salt & cracked pepper, to taste
dash of garlic powder
juice of 1 lemon, optional
small handful pepitos, optional
paprika/smoked paprika, garnish


Drain and rinse your chickpeas, place in medium size bowl and roughly mash with a fork, potato masher or pastry blender. Add the remaining ingredients and combine. Add more hummus if you like it creamier and taste for seasoning. Serve however you like.

Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Zucchini-Scallion Cakes

Makes 10 small cakes
 
Ingredients
1 medium zucchini, grated ( about 1 1/2 cups)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Combine the zucchini, scallions, flour, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Add the egg, lemon juice, and zest and stir until well incorporated.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter (you can use more olive oil if keeping this recipe dairy-free) in a large cast iron skillet. Once the butter is melted and the oil is fairly hot, drop in the zucchini mixture in tablespoonfuls, making sure not to crowd the pan (about 5 at a time). Cook for about 1 minute on each side until browned and semi-firm. Remove to a paper towel to drain and repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil as necessary.

NOTE: this can be done a day in advance. Simply reheat the cakes in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Fuss-Free Frittata

Ingredients:
4 whole eggs
1 cup red bell peppers, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup frozen peas

Directions:
In a small bowl, beat the eggs together. Add the mixture to a skillet pan, allowing eggs to set. Scatter the bell peppers, mushrooms and peas over the mixture. When eggs are cooked, use a spatula to slide frittata out of the pan and serve.