Falafel Heaven!

With my pregnancy, I haven't been much of an eater.  Especially dinnertime.  I usually have a good-sized lunch and then I am pretty much done for the day.  Since about week 12ish, my sickness is GENERALLY confined to evening.  And it can be a doozy!  I am sure my not eating the last half of the day and my pukester tendencies ARE related but NO I am not planning on changing my ways any time soon.  Throwing up can change a person.

Anywho.  Andrew does most of the cooking.  By "most" I really mean "all."  And he will usually text me about twelve options throughout the day that I serially shoot down before either he gives up and suggests take out or I give up and tell him that whatever the thirteenth thing he suggested sounds "great but I'm a little tired tonight so I might just lay down after work" which is polite pregnancy code for "I'm not going to eat that."

Let me just say for the umpteenth time that my husband is THE BEST!  I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by testifying claiming that HE IS THE BEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE ENTIRE WORLD so let's just leave it at: Andrew is the best most perfect husband FOR ME.  There.  No ruffled feathers?

Well, at week 14, day 3, I decided to do something crazy.  I was going to cook dinner.  And not just any dinner.  I set out on a path to make a copycat version of my favorite food on this planet: Chicken Pita Sandwiches from Oasis Falafel in Iowa City, Iowa.  (Disclaimer to Oasis Falafel: Please know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and that despite the fact that you are 1500 miles from my current location, I still manage to patronize your storefront yearly.)

Oasis Falafel is my heaven on earth.  I have been known to plan my vacations around this culinary wonderment.  I love you, I love you, I love you.

Exhibit A, ladies and gentlemen of the jury

Exhibit B

 I LOVE YOU.

 

Now the Chicken Pita Sandwich is no easy feat to duplicate.  And let me state plainly that your best option is to get on a plane and fly to Iowa to eat at Oasis Falafel.  However, I am 14 weeks pregnant with a strong craving, a husband in grad school, and no time to waste.  Get in my belly, now!

 

I used the online menu to gather the elements of the sandwich that I wanted to include and then searched www.allrecipes.com and Pinterest for ideas on how to recreate several items.  Some things I truly just made up as I went.  I didn't end up making baba ghanoush (I never even knew that it was on the sandwich) and I decided to only make the mango sauce and skip the tahini sauce.  I mean, let's not get too crazy here, right?  I have included the recipe below.  It looks a little nuts but it really wasn't too bad.  I just prepared half in advance and did the cooking about 40 minutes before we ate.

 

Andrew was in charge of the chicken.  He has really perfected grilling chicken!  It is always so juicy and the secret is to marinade it in a little oil.  Yum!  I sliced up some extra pita after I was done frying the falafel and just tossed it in the same oil.  Dusted the pita chips with thyme and sesame seed (doesn't need salt but still looking for sumac as Oasis suggests).  Yum!  Andrew and I had picked up some cucumber relish at the Farmer's Market that were a nice addition to the sandwiches as well. 

We had the most amazing dinner that night!  I snapped a quick two photos with my phone but--as you can see--my hand was shaking so much with excitement that they aren't the best quality in the world.  I just wanted to get on with the show and snarf that sandwich down!

 

And here is the Christmas miracle...

 

I ATE THE LEFTOVERS.

 

TWICE.

 

 





CHICKEN PITA SANDWICHES

This recipe has a lot of elements but is easily divided between two days.  Prepare the hummus, Mediterranean salad, falafel mixture, pickled red cabbage, and mango curry sauce the night before to really allow the flavors to incorporate well.  The results are a flavor sensation unlike any other.  Serve with pita chips and hummus and it’s almost like dining at Oasis Falafel in Iowa City, Iowa.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts                                         

Falafel (recipe follows)

6 pocket pita breads, warmed                                                  

Hummus (recipe follows)

Pickled Red Cabbage (recipe follows)                         

Mediterranean Salad (recipe follows)

Mango Curry Sauce (recipe follows)                                        

Feta cheese

Grill the chicken so that it has a really nice char on the outside.  While the chicken is grilling, take the falafel mixture and form 12 balls and then flatten into thick patties.  Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides.  Slice the chicken into large chunks.  Take a pita and divide in half and then open up.  Spread hummus on the inside of each half and add a falafel patty.  Fill with cabbage and Mediterranean salad.  Add chicken and top with mango sauce and feta cheese.

FALAFEL MIXTURE:

1-15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained                      

1 onion, chopped

½ c. fresh chopped parsley                                                      

1 t. minced garlic

1 egg                                                                                       

2 t. ground cumin

1 t. ground coriander                                                               

1 t. salt

Dash of pepper                                                            

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 t. lemon juice                                                            

1 t. baking soda

1 T. olive oil                                                                            

1 c. bread crumbs

Use a food processor to coarsely grind the garbanzo beans.  Set aside.  Use the food processor to blend onion, parsley, and garlic together.  Stir into the garbanzo beans.  In a small bowl, combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking soda.  Stir into bean mixture along with olive oil.  Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed.  Cover and refrigerate.

HUMMUS:

1-15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained                      

3 T. tahini

2 T. lemon juice                                                                       

½ t. salt

½ t. minced garlic                                                                    

Olive oil

Water                                                                                      

Paprika

Blend garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic together in food processor.  Slowly add 1-2 T. olive oil and then water 1 T. at a time until it reaches a smooth consistency.  Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with olive oil and a dash of paprika.  Cover and refrigerate.

PICKLED RED CABBAGE:

1 c. vinegar                                                                              

1 c. sugar

2 t. salt                                                                                    

1 head red cabbage, shredded 

Combine vinegar, sugar and salt.  Pour over shredded cabbage.  Cover and refrigerate.

MEDITERRANEAN SALAD:

1 tomato, diced                                                                       

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

2 T. onion, diced                                                                     

3 T. vegetable oil

1 T. lemon juice

Mix together, cover and refrigerate.

MANGO CURRY SAUCE:

1 mango, peeled, seeded and chopped                         

2 T. sweet chili sauce

1 t. curry powder

Combine in blender and process until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate.