Ingredients
2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in water for 12 hours
2 slices white bread
5 cloves garlic
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 small onion
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable or peanut oil for deep frying
2 teaspoons baking soda

Instructions
1. Rinse soaked chickpeas and place them in food processor.  Add bread, garlic, parsley, cilantro, onion, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper.  (Work in batches if necessary.)  Pulse until texture resembles coarse cornmeal.  (Add a little water if necessary.)

2. Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir well if you pulsed ingredients in batches.  Cover and allow to rest for 30 to 60 minutes. 

3. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add baking soda to falafel mixture and knead 5 to 10 minutes.  Wet hands and shape falafel into golf ball sized balls.  Add to oil, a few at a time, until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels and serve warm. 



Comments
I have only recently become a falafel addict and I decided, after having them a few time in restaurants, that it was time to try my hand at making my own.  I found this recipe from The Hummus Blog.   These are delicious falafel however, they’re quite a bit different than what I’ve had before.  The texture, due to the ground soaked chickpeas, resembles chopped nuts more than the smoother falafel balls I’ve had before.  I would definitely make this recipe again in the future, but I’ll also be on the lookout for other recipes that might be closer to what I’ve had in restaurants. 

Shown here with Lamb Burgers and the most amazing Cucumber Yogurt Sauce.  A delicious meal all around.

Ingredients
2 (15 ounces each) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (A.K.A. chickpeas.)
3 bunches green onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
3 stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 teaspoons pickle relish (Finding relish that is HFCS-free is difficult.)
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Using fork or masher, mash beans to a rough and chunky consistency.  (This can also be done carefully in a food processor.  You want the beans to be rough, not smooth like hummus.)

2. Combine beans and remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Stir well and chill in refrigerator before serving. 



Comments
The other day I was looking for lunch ideas to take when I visit my brother, the vegetarian, later in May.  A friend suggested that I try this salad and it’s delicious!  The texture is similar to tuna salad and it’s pretty similar in taste thanks to all of the other ingredients, it’s just lacking the fishiness of the tuna.  You could easily modify this to suit your tastes, I might add cherry tomatoes next time or even cucumber.  For a vegan version, just use your favorite vegan mayonnaise substitute.  This will probably be my lunch for the rest of the week and I’ll be making a double batch later in the month when I visit my brother!

I like my salads to be chunky, if you don't you should cut the onions and celery into smaller pieces.

Ingredients
1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into thin half moons (I used Aidells.)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped fine (Mine was about 7-8 inches long.)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper
5 cups chicken broth
1 pound dried small red beans, rinsed and picked over
1 bay leaf

Instructions
1. Heat sausage in Dutch oven over medium heat until fat renders and sausage is browned, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel-lined plate, cover, and reserve in refrigerator. Cook onion, bell pepper, and celery in sausage fat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, beans, and bay leaf; bring to low boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans are just beginning to soften, about 20 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW until beans are completely tender, 4 to 5 hours (or cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours).  Note: If the beans appear too dry around the last hour of cooking, stir in an extra 1/2 cup of water. 

2. Remove bay leaf.  Transfer 1 cup bean mixture to food processor and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Stir pureed beans and reserved sausage into slow cooker, cover, and cook on HIGH until heated through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice. 

Note: I processed the onion, red bell pepper, and celery in my food processor, since I was running short on time.  This worked well. 



Comments
Technically this recipe should just be named “Slow Cooker Red Beans” because it doesn’t include instructions for preparing rice, but I’ll stick with the name the way it is.  My rice cooking method is 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water in a saucepan, bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Works like a charm every time. 

Up until this point, my only experience with Red Beans and Rice has been from the box that says Zatarans.  I’ve never been a fan, it’s entirely too spicy for me even if I dilute it with extra rice.  But Art loves Red Beans and Rice so I figured I would try this recipe out for him and, if it had the same pitfalls as the boxed stuff, I could always eat leftovers. 

Wow, was it tasty!  The texture of the beans was great, they weren’t as broken down as they are in the box sort.  The flavors were spot on as far as I could tell, and the spice level was perfect for me.  Just a little heat but nothing overwhelming.  The true test was Art, since he’s the Red Beans and Rice connoisseur, and he loved it.  I declare this recipe a resounding success and it’s all thanks to the 2009 Cook's Country Annual.