Sesame Seed Pitas + Chickpea Sauté w/ Broccoli, Cauliflower, & Hummus

Whenever we (husband and I) are craving a hearty meatless meal, this is what we seem to make.  Pungent flavors.  Warm, toasted bread.  Satisfying, belly-filling goodness.  We repeatedly crave this simple dish that came about once upon time, many years back, when I had leftover chickpeas from making a big, honkin' batch of hummus.  Because we looooo-hooove (um yes, that's supposed to be a sing-songy love) homemade hummus, as well.  It may seem kind of redundant.  Eating hummus with another chickpea dish.  Oh well.  It's brilliant together.  The difference in both the textures and the tastes taste need each other.  The meal is not complete with one component missing.  This time, however, is the first time I've ever made the pitas to go with it from scratch.  And now.  Now!  It pushes our favorite meatless meal over the edge....and we're glad to jump off after it.

Sesame Seed Pitas

from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

makes 12 pitas

1½ c. all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1½ c. whole wheat flour

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. instant yeast

2 tsp. salt

1 c. warm water + more as needed

½ tsp. honey

2 Tbs. sesame seeds

Combine flours, oil, yeast and salt in a food processor.  Turn machine on and add 1 c. warm water through feed tube along w/ honey and sesame seeds.  Process for ~30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch.  If it's dry, add 1-2 Tbs. water and process for another 10 seconds.

Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.

When dough is ready, lightly flour your hands and the work surface.  Form dough into a ball and divide into 12 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a small ball.  Put each ball on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with a little flour, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel.  Let rest until they puff slightly, ~20 minutes.

 Roll each ball less than ¼" thick, using flour to prevent sticking as necessary.  As you work, spread flat disks on a floured surface and keep them covered.  Dough should sit for 20 minutes before baking. When all the disks are rolled out heat oven to 350° F.  If you have a pizza stone, set it on the lowest rack in the oven, otherwise lightly oil a baking sheet and set it on middle rack in oven.

Slide as many disks as will fit on the stone or sheet pan into the oven using a pizza peel or large spatula.  Bake until lightly browned and puffed, then flip to the other side.  They should puff up a bit when ready.  Average baking time is ~5-6 minutes total.

If you wish, you can brush them with a little more olive oil when you remove them from the oven.  Eat right away or cooled, stored in wax paper or plastic bags...gently reheated before eating.  They can also be frozen.

That favorite meatless meal I was talking about earlier?  It's so incredibly simple...yet so incredibly addicting!

Chickpea Sauté with Broccoli, Cauliflower and Hummus
Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add some thinly sliced onion and cook for a few minutes, or until soft.  Add in some minced garlic and cooked, drained chickpeas.  Cook until the chickpeas start to get some brown spots on them.  Add in some blanched cauliflower and broccoli.  Cook until they get little crisp, brown spots on them, too.  Throw in some read pepper flakes, a squeeze of fresh lemon and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with some freshly made Hummus.  Scoop it all up into a hot pita.

Just don't say I didn't warn you of its addictive qualities!

I am sharing this post with...
*Yeastspotting!

Lamb mini-Meatball Pita

We're pretty much past the point where we "hide" ingredients from the kids.  I mean, they're pretty open-minded when it comes to food (like they have another choice)...but they are still kids.  Up until recently I'd never really had a source for lamb.  But since I stumbled across one, I can't get enough!  Lamb is really a delicious meat. I've always loved gyros...and lamb shanks...but they were always an every "once in a while" thing I'd order when I was out.  I rarely eat out.  My point being that I made mini meatballs the other night from lamb.  And didn't tell the kids that it was lamb they were eating.  Kids...my kids...are bound to conjure up sweet images in their heads of petting zoos and nursery rhymes...so I figured I'd just wait until they were done eating.  Then I just decided not to mention it at all.  Unless they asked.  They all LOVED the meatballs.  And it turns out that Sweet Thang is an complete lamb aficionado. Albeit, unbeknownst to him. Whoda thunk it? I almost hate pulling the wool over his eyes.  {Ba dum bum} Almost.  Oh sure...the fact that the kids adore lamb at least in mini-meatball form...will be thrown in their face revealed sooner or later, but until that  day comes, I say...Who's up for a mini meatball sammich!?

 Aromatic Lamb Meatballs

from Nigella Lawson

makes: ~80 mini meatballs

1 lb. ground lamb
¼ c. finely chopped scallions
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. semolina
1 egg 

coconut oil, for frying

Put the lamb into a bowl and add the scallions. Sprinkle over the spices, salt, and semolina, and then beat the egg adding to the bowl. Work everything together thoroughly with your hands, and then cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and scoop out a scant teaspoon of the mixture. Roll in your hands to form the meatball and place on the lined baking sheet. Have a bowl of cold water beside you to dampen your hands with; this helps them not get too sticky for rolling the meatballs.

When you are ready to cook them, heat about ½" of oil in a frying pan. Line another baking sheet with paper towels, and when the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in batches (without overcrowding the pan). Cook them for about a minute a side, or until golden brown all over.

They were excellent stuffed into a grilled whole wheat pita with sliced red onion, baby spinach, cucumber, tomato, feta and then drizzled with Tzatziki sauce!  Um yes...I'm totally craving one now.  Right.  Now.

I made a killer Tzatziki to drizzle over the mini meatballs and veggies...and I even did it last minute!  Normally, you would drain some yogurt overnight in order to get rid of most of the liquid it contains, but since I spaced it until last minute, I simply used a thick greek yogurt un-strained...the resulting sauce was a bit more drizzleable...but no less addicting. If any whey has formed on top of the yogurt, simply pour it off before scooping what you need from the carton. If you want it quicker and plan ahead, then simple strain the yogurt overnight in a cheesecloth lined colander set over a bowl in the fridge.

Quick Tzatziki Sauce

makes~1½ c.

~1½ c. plain Greek yogurt

1 fat clove garlic, finely minced

~1/3 English Cucumber, grated

2 big pinches sea salt

~1 Tbs. dried dill weed

drizzle olive oil

drizzle red wine vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

Stir everything together and adjust seasoning to taste.

Once the meatballs are made, this makes a quick, flavor-packed meal that you can throw together at any time.  Just be sure to bury the wrapping that clearly states 'ground lamb' under the other things in the trash bin...lest your secret be revealed.

IDK my BBFF Val

BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine is a fabulous group of international food bloggers who are "determined to make a difference in aid of world famine." Although I believe that there is something each and every one of us can do to help those less fortunate than we are both close to home and abroad, BloggerAid-CFF is on a mission to make a positive change all over the world by raising both money and awareness! One of the really cool aspects of BloggerAid-CFF is called BBFF...or BloggerAid Best Friends Forever. Members are pairing up with another member from a different country and getting to know one another through emails, blogging and dialogue; this is just one step in fostering an understanding in culture and cuisine we're not necessarily familiar with. I am one who yearns to travel...to absorb...to immerse...to learn and to respect and participate in other cultures and inevitably other cuisines, so I jumped on the chance to meet a new BBFF! If you are interested in joining BloggerAid- Changing the Face of Famine, please click on one of the links and get involved. Immediately! Without further ado, let me introduce you to my BBFF, Val. You may know her from her blog more than burnt toast, set in the breathtaking Bellini Valli...British Columbia, Canada. Val is one of the founders of BloggerAid-CFF and has a passion that flies from her fingers when she writes about the need to do something tangible to raise funds for the world famine & poverty crisis. Val grew up idolizing the Galloping Gourmet, collecting recipes and dreaming of throwing dinner parties (fostering her future foodie). When she moved out on her own, she began to experiment with food and realized that the blah and bland food that she grew up eating was not the food she wanted to continue to eat! This girl discovered flavor...think Middle Eastern and Greek foods, which are her favorites. I wanted to make a dish that reflected one of Val's favorite foods today, so I decided on Falafel. I only recently tried it myself when a gal from Jerusalem (who I work with) brought some in for a guy who always asks her to bring them. My first try...and let me tell you...I loved them! I was hooked. I'd been wanting to actually make some myself and figured this was definitely the right time...I was waiting for this happy coincidence! I emailed an elementary school friend (Midwestern girl, met a man, converted to Judaism, married that man, moved to Israel, recently re-connected via the wonder-that-is-Facebook after 21 or so years, who has a blog-but doesn't update it very often) and asked if she had a good falafel recipe she could send me. She was more than willing to pass one on to me...along with a recipe for Matbucha (an awesome relish-like dish) that I served up with it...along with an Israeli Salad. So Val, this plate's for you! Falafel Plate by girlichef- slightly altered from an old friends recipe Falafel yield: ~4 dozen falafel 2 cups dried chickpeas (soak them overnight in water first) 5 cloves minced garlic small handful Parsley small handful Cilantro Juice of 1 1/2 Lemons 3 Tbs. tahini 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1 tsp. cumin 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt 2 eggs 4 slices bread (whizzed in food processor into fine crumbs) Drain any excess water from chickpeas. Place in the bowl of a food processor with all ingredients except eggs and bread crumbs. Grind well. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Add eggs and bread crumbs and process again to combine. Mixture should be firm enough to hold together. Transfer to a bowl, cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to make it easier to work with. Heat ~1 1/2" of vegetable oil in large skillet w/ sides. Using a 1 Tbs. measure, scoop mixture then form into balls using wet hands. You may leave them in balls or flatten them into disks. Fry until golden on each side, turning halfway through in batches. Transfer to paper towel lines plate to drain. In the meantime, make your: Matbucha (pron.- maht boo kha) 3 medium red bell peppers 1 medium onion 4 Roma tomatoes 1 jalapeno 4 cloves of garlic Olive Oil 2 Tbs. Paprika 1 tsp. Sea Salt Blend first 5 ingredients in food processor until well-chopped. Heat a skillet over medium-high and add a good coating of olive oil to the bottom. Pour in mixture and add paprika and salt. Let it cook down until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and it becomes relish-like. Set aside. Next make some Hummus. Then make a quick: Israeli Salad 1 cucumber, peeled & chopped 2 tomatoes, core, seed & chop 1/2 small onion, slice thin good handful of cilantro, chop juice of 1/2-1 lemon olive oil sea salt Toss together veggies & cilantro. Add a glug of olive oil and squeeze in lemon juice to taste. Season with salt. Toss again. Okay, toast up some pitas until warm and fragrant. Cut if you wish. Serve all together...pile your Matbucha onto your hummus. Eat all separately... Or pile together into the pita. Enjoy! It has really been a joy getting to know Val. We obviously have that common thread of being foodies and bloggers ...but we also both want to take a culinary tour of the world!!! Since this is tops on my "to do before I die list", I was very excited to learn that it is also one of Val's goals. Maybe one day we can meet up in some other country and take a leg of our culinary education tour together!