we live on a lifestyle block, and both of us have done for most of our lives. my husband is also a hunter so meat is a big part of our diet.
as much as a good steak is pretty darn great my body doesn’t like too much protein. managing our protein loving boys and my desire not too eat to much can be a bit of a mission, when they ask what meat we are having for dinner, even when they know we aren’t having any.
falafel are a favorite of mine, and Dustin, the littlest, loves them too. so if i mix them up with a whole lot of other stuff i get to eat something i like while getting at least a little bit into the kids too.
so this was a bit of a mash up of several different ideas to make one delicious falafel salad bowl.
falafel salad bowl…
- Falafel – Denny’s is gf df
- Pita
- lemon
- 2-3 cloves garlic – crushed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2c oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- salt and pepper
- 1 cucumber
- handful of mint
- handful of parsley
- red onion
- baby spinach
- hummus
because i don’t always have time to make my own falafel the Denny’s ones are good. ready made and just chuck them in a pan with some oil. but you could find your own recipe or get one of the lisa’s falafel mix – just check the ingredients first.
so chuck your falafel in a pan, and while they are cooking put the lemon juice, crushed garlic, cumin, oil, mustard, honey and salt and pepper into a bowl and give it a good whisk. leave that to sit while you are doing everything else and the garlic will infuse a bit.
slice the cucumber in to rounds, keep them quite thin, toast – yip i mean in the toaster – your pita. I did mine twice so they were crunchy. finely slice, into half rounds, the onion. chop up your herbs
when the falafel are done you can assemble. pop down your spinach first. add in your hummus, i used beetroot hummus and garlic hummus – both Lisa’s. then pile in all the other bits and pieces, top with your dressing.
dinner done, this is a quick and easy week night meal, and you feel like you have gotten a good dose of greens.
optional extras: obviously we can’t do tomatoes with an allergy to them, but they would be a great addition. feta cheese works great with this recipe. you could add some toasted nuts in there too. change it up to any fresh veggies that take your fancy. if you don’t like falafel, leave them out, or swap them for some medium rare steak sliced thinly, or a cooked chicken breast. super easy and super versatile!!
three boys kitchen 