Blog & Food Journal

I was in New York City a couple of weeks ago with some girls and we stumbled upon this fantastic eatery called "Baba ghanouge".  We were starving and ready to eat just about anything.  Much to our surprise, it was one of the BEST places we ate while in New York.  The owner called himself the "Falafel King" so must of us ordered his falafel wrap.  It was AMAZING!  When I got home I was bound determined to come up with a replicate.  Here's what I came up with (not perfect, but pretty darn close)!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SAUCE

Having great sauces makes for great flavors.  The salsa, the hummus, and the "dressing" can all be made ahead of time so that this isn't quite so labor intensive all on one day.  I tried to make these wraps with the store bought stuff and it just wasn't even close to the right flavors.  Fresh is always best!

Hummus

1 15oz can of garbanzo beans, drained

juice from a small lemon

1 tbs of tahini

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp of salt

2 tsp of pesto (optional, but I loved the flavor this added)

1/2 bunch of cilantro

3 TBS fresh parsley

1/4 cup of water

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until it reaches the desired consistency.

Keep in mind that hummus is pretty hard to screw up.  Just add or omit ingredients at your discretion. 

Salsa

4 tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 a red onion*

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed

1/2 anaheim pepper, seeds removed

1/2 bunch of cilantro

3 TBS olive oil

2 TBS vinegar

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

Chop all of the ingredients and combine in a bowl.  The longer the salsa is allowed to sit before serving the better the

flavors will be incorporated.

* A little trick to make onions taste better is to soak them in sugar water.  This pulls out the natural bitterness to the onions while still

leaving their delicious juices.  Simple slice the desire quantity of onion and cover it with water.  Add about a 1/4 cup of sugar (for a small onion).

Let it soak for at least a half an hour. Drain and rinse before serving.  (I did this "soak" for the onions in the salsa as well as the onions on the wrap itself).

Dressing

1/2 cup Veganaise

1/2 cup of vegan or organic sour cream

juice from one lime

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

4 mint leaves, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 TBS parsley, chopped

Combine all the ingredients and try to let it sit for at least a half an hour before serving if you have the time

Falafel

1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas (most recipes call for canned, but I read that fresh chickpeas add a much better taste)

Soak these overnight and drain then pat dry before using.

3 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup cilantro

1/4 cup parsley

4 mint leaves

4 green onions

2 TBS lemon juice (fresh is always better if possible)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp cayenne

Add all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until fairly fine.  Then add

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup of flour

Form into small 'patties' and then chill them for at least 30 minutes

Next step is to heat canola oil in a pan with enough oil to submerge the patties about 1/2 way.

Depending on the quality of pan, I would set the oil on medium heat for 8-10 minutes before cooking the patties.

When you fry with oil that is not hot enough too much of the oil is absorbed into the food. Fry each patty for 3-4

minutes (until golden brown) on each side.  Remove from heat and pat with paper towels to absorb the oil.

While the falafel is cooking I prepare the wraps so that they can be served as soon as the falafel is done.

Start with a whole wheat tortilla, or flatbread.  I am loving the "Flatout" Multi-Grain flatbread from Costco.  From the nutritional information

they appear to be even better than many of the whole wheat tortillas I have seen.

Spread on some hummus, then add the hot falafel and top with the dressing.  Add sliced cucumber, avocado, red onion, dill pickles

(this was the key ingredient we decided of theFalafel we ate in New York), salsa and lettuce.  These flavor all work wonderfully together for a

truly enjoyable dinner. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!