Falafel for Father's Day

It's been over a year since we've been to New York but Dan still talks about the halal food carts that we ate at at least twice a day so for father's day Dan wanted "falafel for every meal, all day, from scratch. MAKE ALOT." So that's what het got. We're used to just using a box mix because it's typically a last minute decision but as long as you plan enough time to soak your garbanzo beans and let the mixture sit in the fridge it's so worth it. Best falafel ever. And you gotta do homemade hummus.

Vegan Stuffed Peppers in Spicy Tomato Soup

Growing up my dad stuffed everything with rice.  Lamb stomach, zucchini, grape leaves, bell peppers, eggplant, you name it.  I always knew when my mom was making stuffed peppers it would be different from how my dad makes it.  Mom's was more tradition with the melted cheese on top and eat it with a fork and knife while my dad's was served with soup and eaten with a spoon.  I've taken on more of my dad in my cooking style because I love all of the spices present in middle eastern food so this is a tweak of my dad's method.

For the peppers:
4 bell peppers (I made 2 red and 2 green)
1c. black rice
1/2c. quinoa
1 zucchini grated
1 carrot diced
1/4 onion diced

For the soup:
5c. water
1tsp minced garlic
1/4 onion diced
1tsp. salt
1tsp. chile powder
1tsp. black pepper
2tbs. tomato paste
1c. chopped cilantro

\\I don't want to get into too much detail as it's a very simple recipe.
-Preheat the oven to 450
-Cook the rice and quinoa until almost done, saute the onions and carrots until tender or toss them into the pot with the rice when the water begins boiling.
-Mix shredded zucchini in with the rice mixture and fill the 4 peppers.  place them in an oven safe pot, dutch oven or pyrex dish with a lid or be able to cover with foil.
-Ladle some of the soup into the bottom of the pot, about 1/4" high then place the peppers in.  Ladle some soup into each pepper but be careful not to overload them.  Cover and allow them to steam in the oven for 20-30 mins until peppers are tender and rice is fully cooked.

Soup: boil water, add all ingredients, boil 5 mins then cover and simmer for 10.

Ladle soup into your bowl and place pepper inside.  My favorite way to eat this is to slice the pepper down the middle and spoon some soup in with each bite.  Ohhh so good!

**you can add ground beef or turkey to this recipe as well, just pre-cook it and mix it in with the rice. 

I like red

He likes green

Lentille Verte du Puy...oh you fancy huh

As a francophile and a lover of lentils I came across the lentilles du puy in a the bulk bin, did a little research and found that they are a sturdier than regular green or brown lentils and grown in volcanic soil (a little more about these beauties here.)  So I thought they would be perfect to cure my lentils craving.  I normally make a dish called Mujaddara which is an Arab lentil dish served with rice, caramelized onions and Arab salad.  This is one of my favorite dishes to make especially when I'm homesick and miss my Dad's cooking but the lentils and rice can be very heavy.  I decided to make the lentils as I would the Mujaddara but skip the rice and mix in the salad.

What I used:
For Lentils
1 c. lentilles du puy (any other lentils will work but require a little more cooking time)
2 c. water or chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
3 small onions
olive oil

1. Sort and rinse your lentils, make sure there aren't any rocks or debris in it
2. Soak them for about an hour beforehand but if you don't have time to soak just extend your cooking time and water amount
3. Boil 2 cups of water, add lentils and return to boil
4. Add bay leaf, salt and cumin, boil for 10 minutes then cover and turn down the heat to low for 30 minutes

>>Carmelizing Onions
Slice 3 onions and place in a heavy bottom pan with enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom.  Cook on medium high and stir frequently to prevent onions from sticking and drying out.  If you find onions drying out and small amounts of water to deglaze the pan. You'll use these onions to either place on top of the lentils or mix into lentils.

***everyone's methods, tastes and equipment vary so watch your food closely and follow your instincts

For Salad
1 cucumber
4 roma tomatoes
1 bunch of parsley
1/2 fresh jalapeno (optional)
juice of 1 small lemon
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. olive oil

1. Finely chop parsley
2. Cube tomatoes and cucumber
3. Add oil, salt and lemon juice
4. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready