Falafels in Pita Bread... and I shall introduce myself!

Welcome to my blog :D

Sorry this post is so long, I just wanted to give a quick back story on how and why we started cooking our meals from scratch :)

We (my partner Simon and I) started our food Journey as a result of my New Years Resolution to live more simply. For us this meant to live as packet free as we could and to cook our meals From Scratch.  I am very much a lover of material objects so I was not going to part with my throw rugs, decorative cushions and let’s not even get started on my makeup collection, so food was our focus!
Let me clarify… Flour, obviously comes in a packet, but it’s just flour. Taco Seasoning comes in a packet, but has about 15 ingredients 14 of those I cannot pronounce.

So in January I went through the pantry and cleared out 3 of those big green shopping bags full of packaged food. Packets of pasta, flavoured rice, packet mix meal flavouring thingies (you know for the slow cooker or to make curried sausages) instant gravy…you get my drift. Anything that had more than one ingredient was removed. There was a lot. Then I gave it all away.

6 months later and we’ve not looked back. If you opened my pantry now it’s full of staples, flour, salt, oils, whole grains, I have an ever growing collection of spices which I need . I have quite a few Asian sauces (soy, oyster) which obviously have more than one ingredient but I am not been game just yet to attempt to whip up a batch of soy sauce, although if anyone has a recipe for it I’ll give it a go!! Our fridge, instead of being full of prebought products is stuffed full of containers with things I have made like salsa’s, dips and leftovers from last nights dinner.

In the process of Cooking from Scratch I have lost around 7 kg with basically zero exercise. 1kg a month simply by making better food choices in the kitchen.  I don’t hold back though, if I want deep fried chicken bites and chips, I damn well have them!! But I make them at home, knowing exactly what is going in it, using fresh ingredients and coconut oil to cook in.

In the last few months I had a special friend come back into my life and food has become even more of an obsession. We made a lot of good food, we ate a lot of good food, a lot of it raw or vegan food, though both of us are meat eaters. I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if perhaps, just perhaps becoming a vegan would be a perfectly normal progression in my food journey. I mean I like meat, I like cooking with it and I enjoy the flavour. I have my steak rare… but I can live without it.

I’ve basically given up on dairy due to the reaction when it hits my stomach (no details required) and I actually enjoy the challenge of coming up with really tasty meals that use no animal products at all, but you know what… I don’t want to be a category, absolutely no offence to anyone who  is vegetarian or vegan. I just don’t want to make a huge declaration to the world that I am vegan then feel like all eyes are on me if I have a bit of chicken, or if I want to have some pasta that has egg in it. I personally don’t want that kind of imaginary or real pressure I know I would put on myself. Certainly not ruling it out though ha ha!! Gosh I am so  weird! I buy organic free range meat whenever possible and I eat a lot of raw, vegan and vegetarian meals, but if I want a big hunk of steak… I’m going to eat it… for now hahaha!!

So in saying that... I made an animal product free meal last night

VEGAN FELAFEL'S IN PITA POCKETS

Massive thank you to Minimalist Baker for your delicious Vegan and Gluten free Falafel Recipe!! It’s definitely going in my favourites list!

The original ingredient was collard greens or chard, I changed to Kale as it’s more accessible. You could of course use spinach  I also used plain white flour, meaning my Falafels were not actually gluten free, but use whatever flour is your norm!

BETTER THAN RESTAURANT FALAFEL (VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE)

(Directly from Minimalist Bakers site)
Prep time 10 mins Cook time 10 mins Total time 20 mins

Falafel that can rival any restaurant, although it remains vegan, gluten free and pan-cooked, not fried.
Author: Minimalist Baker
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

•4 cups stemmed and torn kale

 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

 3 medium to large cloves garlic, chopped

 1.5 Tbsp tahini (health food isle in the supermarket, or make your own!!)

1.5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

 1/4 tsp cumin

sea salt and black pepper

 3-4 Tbsp oat flour (ground from gluten free oats) (I used plain white flour)

 ~ 4 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil for cooking

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add kale, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and a healthy pinch each salt and pepper to a food processor and mix to combine.

2. Once well incorporated, transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in flour 1 Tbsp at a time until the mixture is thick enough to handle - about 3-4 Tbsp.

3. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added more salt, pepper and lemon juice, and a touch more tahini.
4. Heat a large frying pan over medium to medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp oil at a time. Swirl to coat pan.
5. Add 4 falafel (or however many will fit very comfortably) to the pan at a time.
6. Check at the 1-2 minute mark to ensure they're not browning too quickly. If they are, slightly reduce heat. Flip once deep golden brown - about 3-4 minutes.

7. Cook until the underside is golden brown as well.
8. Serve immediately with hummus and paprika, or inside a pita with garlic sauce or hummus.(I made a coconut garlic sauce, see at the end)
9. Will store in the fridge, layered with parchment paper in an airtight container, for several days. Freeze to keep longer.

I also made some super simple Pita Bread Pockets, that didn’t really turn into pockets haha, but I think that is because I rolled them too thin. NO MATTER they were yummy! Not Gluten Free but you could modify to suit your needs I Australianified the recipe from The Kitchn

INGREDIENTS

1 cup warm water (not hot or boiling)

 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Form the Pita Dough: Mix the water and yeast together, and let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour (saving the last half cup for kneading), salt, and olive oil (if using). Stir until a shaggy dough is formed.

2. Knead the Dough: Sprinkle a little of the extra flour onto your clean work surface and turn out the dough. Knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, but try to be sparing. It's better to use too little flour than too much. If you get tired, stop and let the dough rest for a few minutes before finishing kneading.

3. Let the Dough Rise: Clean the bowl you used to mix the dough and film it with a little olive oil. Set the dough in the bowl and turn it until it's coated with oil. Cover with a clean dishcloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours. (I left mine for roughly 45 minutes as I was hungry and it was fine)

4. At this point, you can refrigerate the pita dough until it is needed. You can also bake one or two pitas at a time, saving the rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough will keep refrigerated for about a week.

5. Divide the Pitas: Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and gently flatten each piece into a thick disk. Sprinkle the pieces with a little more flour and then cover them with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap until you're ready to bake them.

6. Shape the Pitas: Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle 15-20 cm wide and about half a centimetre thick. Lift and turn the dough frequently as your to make sure the dough isn't sticking to your counter. Sprinkle with a little extra flour if it’s starting to stick. If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get into a rhythm, you can be cooking one pita while rolling the next one out.)

7. To cook Pitas on the Stovetop: Warm a non stick frying pan over medium-high heat until a few bead of water sizzle immediately on contact. Drizzle a little oil in the pan and wipe off the excess.

8. Lay a rolled-out pita on the pan and bake for 30 seconds, until you see bubbles starting to form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita should start to puff up during this time; if it doesn't or if only small pockets form, try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel. Keep cooked pitas covered with a clean dishtowel while cooking any remaining pitas.

9. Storing the Pitas: Pitas are best when eaten immediately after cooking. Leftover pitas will keep in an airtight bag for several days and can be eaten as they are or warmed in a toaster oven. Baked pitas can also be frozen with wax paper between the layers for up to three months.

I tore up some baby spinach, chucked on some grated beetroot, sliced red onion and tomato and put that on top of my pita then placed three falafels on each pita (I had two).

I made a simple little sauce with coconut milk, coriander, and garlic (super yummy!!) just put the ingredients in, gave a little stir and tasted till it tasted delicious!!

Of course this meal would be SUPER delicious with melted cheese on top of the Falafels and with a Greek Yoghurt Tzatziki! But obviously then would not be vegan!

I’ve brought the leftovers to work for lunch, can’t WAIT to eat them haha!!

Thanks for reading through ALL that information for my very first blog! I hope you enjoy my cooking from scratch meals and it inspires you to get creative in the kitchen :)

Erica xx