Falafel

• 1 cup dried chickpeas (or 1 can)
  
• 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4-6 tablespoons flour

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.

2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into patties and place on a cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. You can flip them over half way or you can broil them for the last few minutes to brown them, if desired.

6. Serve in pita with hummus and fresh vegetable (tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers).

This recipe is adapted from an a recipe off of epicurious.com. We prefer baking our falafel, rather then frying.

Red Kidney Bean Curry (Rajmah)

This is an Indian cousin of spicy red bean chili.

Serves 6

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger (I used a lot less then this)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 plum tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green chili, chopped (optional- I didn't use)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8 ounce can of tomato sauce or 8 ounces of one of your choice
3 cups boiled red kidney beans or 30 ounces canned red kidney beans, undrained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)

Heat oil in a deep sauce pan over medium heat for one minute. Add ginger, garlic, onion, green chili, and let sizzle for one minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and remaining spices and cook for an additional five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the kidney beans with water or canned red kidney beans (undrained) plus one additional cup of water, and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve over rice or with naan. A dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream on top is heavenly.

From Smitten Kitchen.