Falafel, Juddrah, and Hummus

This is what we call Middle Eastern Night in our home.  I used to buy the falafel mix but most of them contain wheat (and other things).  So when DH was diagnosed with Celiac's I thought that we would never have Falafel again!  But I found and adapted a recipe for us that does not contain wheat!  Yay!  And these are the best tasting falafel I have ever made (stop making those just add water mixes right now and go make this falafel).  It does take more work and planning (soaking the beans at least two days ahead of time).

Falafel
2 cups garbanzos
water
4 Tbs whey or lemon juice
4 large cloves garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup oil

So the 2 cups garbanzos, water, and whey/lemon juice is for the soaking of the beans.  You soak these beans twice (2 Tbs. whey/lemon juice for the first soak and 2 Tbs for the second soak).

After you have your soaked/rinsed beans either make the falafel or put the beans in a freezer bag or container and put in freezer.  I will do this a lot (esp. during fasts) so that I know I have beans on hand.

I use my food processor for this job.  Add 1/2 the garbanzos to food processor.  Add 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 tsp. of each of the spices.  Do not add oil (that is for cooking).  Pulse until reduced to a coarse paste.  The mixture should be finely ground enough to form into a ball (and then flatten - that's how I make my falafel) and hold its shape but it does not need to be entirely smooth. Dump falafel mixture into a bowl and repeat with the rest of the garbanzos and spices.  Mix the two batches together, cover, and put in refrigerator for 1 hour.  Form into patties and cook in oil.  Serve with hummus and sliced veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc).  We do not use pita bread (does anyone have a gluten free pita bread recipe?)  I have read to serve with corn tortillas but that just doesn't sound appealing to me.  So we just dip our falafel into the hummus and eat with the veggies. 

Juddrah
Sometimes I will also make juddrah as the side dish (although, this ends up being a lot of beans eaten in one sitting).  You can soak your lentils, just not as long as the other beans...
to soak lentils... put amount of lentils you will need for recipe into a bowl, cover with warm water and stir in 2 Tbs. whey or lemon juice.  Let sit for 6 or 7 hours then drain and rinse and continue with your recipe.  I suggest initially decreasing the water that you cook with and adding later as you cook because the soaked lentils can and will cook faster with less water.  Just keep an eye on it:)

Back to the Juddrah...
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups water (but use less if using soaked lentils)
2-3 large onions chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup uncooked rice (if you use cooked rice, use less water)
1 Tbs. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Chop onions.  Heat oil in pan.  Add onions. Saute until carmelized/almost burnt.  Add water, lentils, and rice.  Cover and cook (ok, I usually use brown rice and it will take longer than 20-25 minutes but I don't remember how long) until rice and lentils are cooked, stirring occasionally.  Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Hummus
So I tried this once with soaked garbanzos and it just wasn't smooth enough for my family (and, hey, my boys will eat hummus so why mess with a good thing, right?)
1 can garbanzo beans, reserve juice
1 1/4 tsp. tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, minced (I usually use at least 2)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs olive oil (optional)

Heat beans over medium heat until they come to a boil.  I use a slotted spoon to remove the beans (put beans into a bowl) and reserve the juice.  Add the next 4 ingredients to the beans.  Now, add about 1/2 the reserved juice (more if you like a runnier hummus, less if you like a pastier hummus).  I have this milk shake attachment to a hand chopper (electric) that I use to mix the hummus but I have also done this in a blender.  Blend until creamy and very smooth.  Serve with vegetables, tortilla chips, rice crackers.

Again, my sister is in town from Russia and we have been spending lots of time with them.  Last night I did make Ratatouille and will hopefully post the recipe in the next few days.  Today I have an intimate wedding shower in the morning and my niece's 1st birthday party/open house to see my sister in the afternoon.  So it is a busy day!