Recipe Difficulty: Easy! You'll need a food processor to make the mixture.

My Falafel Recipe Notes
This is my easy falafel recipe. I really love them and I ONLY ever want them with LOTS of the tahini dressing I'm sharing. So good. 

Falafel using canned chickpeas
I've been making falafel this way for years and years. Purists will say you HAVE to start with dried and soaked, uncooked chickpeas. They are correct, that's the authentic way to make falafel as far as I am aware. I tried it that way once....they were decent...but I have always used canned chickpeas, and I really love the results. The texture is definitely different than the authentic version, but I like it....maybe better??? Simple & flavourful.  I use a bit of baking powder in the mixture to add a bit of lightness to the fritters. 

About Tahini Dressing
The tahini dressing is so tasty. I honestly put so much of it on my falafel...like every bite needs to be super saucy.  I make this ahead of time preferably. It will thicken up in the fridge. You can adjust the consistency by adding a little more water to thin it out, or a bit more tahini to thicken it up. If I'm using it on my salad I like it a bit thinner, in a wrap a bit thicker. So the recipe is a bit loose in that sense. If you like extra heat you could add a bit of sambal oelek to the dressing or some chipotle chili in adobo sauce. I always double the recipe because I will eat lots over several days with my falafels, and it keeps in the fridge for at least a week if not two. The sauce is also super delicious drizzled over all sorts of things. Drizzled over spiced roasted sweet potatoes are a favourite...or use it as a dressing to pour over any kind of healthy bowl with roasted veggies, grains, greens etc...

​Serving Falafel (Variations)
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Pita Wrap
 I just piled on loads of veggies, loads of sauce, and ate it with a knife and fork. Works for me! I made the falafel into "cakes" and used 3 per pita wrap. Then, a handful of chopped tomatoes, cucumber, some fresh lettuce, a bit of red onion, and PLENTY of sauce. 

Power Bowl.
You can also make a fun power bowl! It's basically a salad. Just load in spinach, greens, maybe some roasted sweet potato, tomato, cucumber, some pickled onions and olives would be nice. How about pita chips too? Or even make tabbouleh and have some of that in there. Then of course some falafels and ALL the tahini dressing (pictured below)

Green Lettuce Tacos
ANOTHER variation, is to make lettuce wrap tacos with some frilly green lettuce. I actually LOVE it this way. They were a bit messy to eat, so I just doubled up on my lettuce to make a sturdier "shell". I added in chopped tomato, cucumber, red onion, falafel, cilantro & sauce. Done!! I like to add just a bit of sauce to the tacos, then have extra on the side for drizzling on a bit before each bite. (That is what is pictured above)

Falafel Burger
Falafel patty on a toasted burger bun, spread a generous amount of tahini sauce, add shredded lettuce, slices of tomato, thin slices of cucumber, followed by the patty. Add another generous spoonful of tahini sauce and pickled red onion. They are messy if you are adding the right amount of sauce. Grab the napkins. 

Tips on Cooking Falafel
Balls
If my falafel are shaped into round balls, I prefer to deep fry them. I use a very large pot and just enough oil to cover the falafel by an inch. I use a thermometer, and when it reaches 350F it's good to go. I don't recommend using a pot set up like this at home, unless you have done it before and are very comfortable with the process. It can be dangerous due to potential oil overflow. Ideally you have a deep fryer set up at home.

The temperature is important, too Not hot enough and the falafel will break apart. Too hot and they will become too dark before being cooked. I wouldn't use an air fryer with this recipe.

Patties
If you want to cook them in a pan instead, shape the falafels into small patties instead of balls. Then you can shallow fry them. Heat enough oil so it comes up just a bit over the sides of the patties. Brown on one side, then flip over to finish other side. 

Burgers
I shape my falafel into 4 oz patties. Cook them in a 425F oven. Drizzle a bit of oil on a sheet pan, top with falafel. Into the oven until golden on one side, flip and cook until golden on the 2nd side. 6-8 minutes per side. You want to make sure the middle is hot and cooked. If in doubt just leave it in a bit longer. I haven't tried deep frying these, but I plan to try. 

Leftover Falafel
You only want to cook what you will eat in one sitting. I haven't tried reheating already cooked falafel, it isn't something I ever run into. The falafel mixture will keep in the fridge for several days, so I just roll or shape into patties and cook when I want a portion. 

Now for the recipes!
Much Love
​

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Keywords: potato and lentil salad, healthy potato salad, vegan

My Potato Lentil & Green Bean Salad Recipe Notes
I love this salad. Potatoes, lentils, asparagus, red onion, radish, and arugula are tossed with a bright maple Dijon dressing. I add in lots of fresh mint, dill, and garnish the salad with toasted pecans. This is just one variation, however. Sometimes I use green beans instead of asparagus, tarragon instead of dill. I made a variation once with apple and walnuts. Start with potatoes and lentils, and feel free to use your imagination. I really like the vinaigrette. A bit punchy from Dijon, bright with only a bit of sweetness. 

How to serve & eat
This salad is undeniably best served after marinating in the fridge for several hours, but I'm not opposed to eating it straight away. If you are putting it in the fridge for later, it's nice when it isn't fridge cold. I like to let it sit out of the fridge for a bit before I eat it. It's also best to add nuts and to fold in greens or arugula right before serving. 

Vegan Sausage & Bread Thoughts
If I had to pick something to go along with this potato and lentil salad, it would be grilled vegan sausages. The dressing is quite bright and punchy and having nibbles of something fattier brings balance. I'm a bit fan of onion jam or some other kind of sweet savory condiment. I think something like that would pair well with the sausage and salad too. Instead of eating the sausage on a bun, I like a good quality crusty bread, it's how they serve street sausages in Switzerland (which I ate many times before being vegan). Then if there is any vinaigrette left at the bottom of the bowl, you can soak it up with the bread, or just eat it with bites of sausage.

What Potatoes to use
Reach for a waxy potato when making potato salad. They have a lower sugar and starch content, and hold their shape better when boiled. Reserve fluffy russets and other starchy potatoes for mashing. I like using baby potatoes for this recipe. The thin skins are nice and you can easily boil them whole then cut them in halves or quarters before adding to the salad. Baby reds, fingerlings, or new potatoes would all be a good choice here. 

​Texture
You definitely want to pay attention to the final texture of the cooked items in this recipe.

1. Make sure you cook the asparagus or green beans until they are JUST done. Super soft veg won't be appealing here. A good trick, as mentioned in the recipe below, is to watch the colour of the veg when you drop them into boiling water. There will be a small window of time where they turn vibrant green, that is a good sign that they are ready or almost ready. Eventually they will lose that vibrant colour and turn a dark unappealing green colour. Ideally you strain the veg and shock it water with lots of ice. 

2. I want the lentils to still have some texture. They shouldn't be hard and impossible to eat, but definitely not mushy and soft. I just taste them as they are cooking, then strain and rinse in cold water when they are done to my liking. 

3. Potatoes. There's nothing worse than an undercooked potato in a salad. It happens to me on occasion that I strain them too soon. My trick for correcting that is to pop them into the microwave for as long as needed to soften. Ideally you get it right the first time though, piercing easily with a knife is the easiest way to know when they are ready. Make sure you cook them in well salted water for best flavour. 

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This vegan BBQ pineapple pizza was definitely a labour of love. As I'm sitting writing this post, I'm aware that once I start listing off all the recipes that were involved in the making of this pizza, I might lose some people. A 24 hour pizza dough, a home made BBQ sauce, 2 vegan cheeze recipes and a fairly involved seitan bacon recipe by Avant Garde Vegan. If I were to make this again, I would do it the exact. same. way. I'm a perfectionist, and flavour is the most important thing.

With that being said, I think your favourite BBQ sauce would be just fine here. Maybe even a different vegan bacon. (though this one is literally the best ever) I have found that an overnight dough (as taught to me by my friend Antonio who makes authentic Neapolitan style pizza for a living) gives you such good flavour and texture. I don't even bother with a quick pizza dough anymore. But if you have a go to pizza dough, go for it. Then the vegan cheeze. I would never go buy a vegan mozzarella unless I found some artisan brand that knocked my socks off. Really though my vegan cheeze recipes are the most simple of the components so I highly recommend trying them out, I use them on all of the pizzas I make at home. 

Now about this particular pizza. I am not a huge BBQ sauce person, but this whole situation was really good. Smoky and sweet, fresh pineapple, crisp seitan bacon, lots of thinly sliced red onion that in the hot oven shrivelled up into the most delicious oniony bites, thinly sliced mushrooms & green peppers. Then once out of the oven fresh cilantro to garnish. I ate it three nights in a row to find the perfect balance. LOTS of the cheeze was necessary to balance everything out and the cheeze has to be on the bottom layer to stay super creamy as it tends to brown too quickly if it's on the top layer. I baked it on my pizza stone. I let the stone preheat for about 30 min at 450. Then I take it out, put my rolled out dough right onto the stone, and build the toppings on there. It took about 20 - 25 minutes in the oven. 

Recipes - BBQ Pineapple Pizza
So, I'm going to break down these recipes for you, take or leave the components that interest you. Maybe you'll find something delicious to add to your repertoire.

My YouTube video is dedicated to the making of the dough, and you can see how much cheeze and other ingredients I layer on. As I mention in the video the dough is the best I can do without being a pizza professional, Antonio already watched it and as I predicted he messaged me and was like yeah but did you do this and this?! Uhm it was delicious, and no regular person without a woodfired oven and temperature control and experience will ever be able to make it to the same standard as a pizzaiolo, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't make it. Because it's the best dough I've ever made. The trick is a long rise and using less yeast. It gives better flavour, texture, and is better for your stomach & digestion. 

The recipe is for a really big batch of dough. About 8 pizzas depending on the size you want them. You could halve the recipe of course, but personally I love having individually wrapped balls of dough in the freezer when a craving for pizza strikes.

Check out the video to see how I make the dough and to see how it all comes together!

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

My Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe Notes:

Being vegan, I wanted a sandwich to fill the void of an egg or tuna salad sandwich. When I discovered the idea of smashing chickpeas to use a filling, I couldn't wait to try it. (I have since added a 2nd version of the recipe that also addsjackfruit, (linked the one I buy) it gives the mixture a tuna like texture)

I often make the version I am sharing with dill, dijon, red onion, celery etc, but I wouldn't hesitate to mix it up. Capers or dill pickles would be nice chopped in, or how about curry powder with raisins and apple? I'd love to turn it into a "creamed tuna and peas" on toast situation.  Endless possibilities. 

If I want it to taste even more tuna like, I will add in some chopped nori or seaweed flakes. If  wanting more of an egg salad sandwich experience, I highly recommend picking up some kala namak. (link to the one I buy) It is a black sulpheric salt that literally will make whatever you sprinkle it on taste "eggy." It's inexpensive and you don't need a lot, so it lasts a long time. 

I really like the filling served on my home made brown bread. The sweetness from the bread really works with all of the other components. Your favourite bread or wraps will work too. The main chickpea mixture tastes bright and fresh with dill, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, minced red onion, celery, vegan mayo and a bit of smoked paprika. 

To my smashed chickpea "tuna" sandwich you'll often find me adding a handful of greens/arugula, crisp veggie bacon, slices of tomato, and cheese. 

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Yield: 2 loaves

​Let me tell you - THIS is a treat. If like me you aren't an expert bread baker, don't worry, you don't need to be in order to make yourself a tasty loaf.  I do think this recipe would be a great place to start for beginners though and even if you are an expert bread baker, that's cool too - this bread is amazing. It makes 2 beautiful loaves; slightly sweet from molasses and lots of healthy goodness from oats. The dough is very sticky which can be a bit of a challenge in theory, but instead of trying to knead it on the counter and making a sticky - doughy mess, my mum told me she just uses a wooden spoon to fold and push the dough around for 10 minutes in the bowl. It works like a charm. This recipe works best when baked in dark metal loaf pans. The dough sticks a lot worse in pyrex pans so I don't recommend those here. 

I have been eating this brown bread with soup, YUM, and  I'm going to make some baked beans to have with the second loaf. Whatever you eat it with, it is delicious. So, enjoy!


Much Love 

​Trisha