Green Falafels

Friends, I totally missed posting yesterday – blasphemy! I’m happy to report, though, that the break in posts happened because I was recording music for a short film I’d been working on. Always a good reason to be away from my computer. I’ll have new tracks to post next week, but for now, more Costco!

So the last purchase I made was a fairly new discovery: Veggie Patch veggie burgers. Now you know I’m not generally a fan of buying pre-made veggie patties. Normally they are frozen and chock full of salt and chemicals. However, what I love about Veggie Patch is they are refrigerated, not frozen, and I can read and understand all the ingredients that goes into them. They come in a bucket of 20, and while they are perfectly fine microwaved or fried and thrown onto salads or simply eaten as a snack, they, like everything in the Starving Artist kitchen can be elevated to new nights with a little resourcefulness, creativity, and a big helping of sass. Today: falafels.

Here’s what I did. I threw 4 patties in the processor. I scrounged through my fridge and found leftover dill and cilantro from the week’s previous recipes, so I threw in a couple of stalks of each. I also added a coarsely chopped green onion, a good dusting of cumin, a pinch of cayenne for spice, and a handful of shelled edamame that I had in my fridge to add more body. And of course a good pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper. Then, I pulsed until thoroughly massacred. To my surprise, the mixture turned out green… which I guess shouldn’t have been that surprising… oh well. The mixture was a bit dry at first, so I switched on the processor and streamed in just enough olive oil so that I could see it clump a little. And that was it. I tasted for seasoning – it’s amazing how much life those fresh herbs add to the mix.

To assemble my falafels, I simply used my 2 teaspoon spring loaded scooper to scoop out some of the mix, rolled it in my hands, and dropped it into a pan with a layer of very hot oil. I let them brown deeply on all sides before removing them to a paper towel lined plate.  Now what to do with them…. hmm. Well, I STILL have leftover sprouted corn tortillas, and I STILL have tomatoes, and I STILL have tzatziki sauce, and I STILL have feta cheese… you get where I’m going with this. I heated up my sprouted tortilla and spread on a thin layer of hummus. Then I layered thinly sliced tomato, thinly sliced red onion, two falafels, a sprinkle of feta, and a drizzle of tzatziki (or a ton), and voila – a fantastic lunch. And plenty of mix left over for several more lunches. This is how I roll.

Are all of you excited for the weekend? I am pumped – I’m going to the Ren Fair tomorrow! Woo! Expect a post about giant smoked turkey legs. Mmmm. What culinary adventures are you all up to?