Flavors of the Mediterranean: Hummus, Tabouli and Falafel

All vegan, of course - and a perfectly healthy meal.

Tabouli - also spelled as Tabouleh

I just love making fresh salads. Tabouli is a salad. It has bulgar wheat, mint, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes and lemon. This is a good recipe. A good friend recommended I add pomegranate molasses to my tabouli and it's been the best advice ever.

Hummus

I made this evening's hummus from chickpeas that I pressure cooked earlier in the day. It was for the first time I used a Vitamix to make my hummus and it turned out to be the smoothest, creamier than ever.

Recipe:

1 cup of cooked chickpeas

3 tablespoons of tahini

2 peeled garlic cloves, cut into smaller pieces

1/4 cup of olive oil

Water

Salt

Juice of one lemon

Just churn this all in your mixer until smooth.

Falafel

Falafel is from a store-bought mix made of ground chickpeas, fava beans and spices.. You can buy these packs anywhere. Just follow directions, it's pretty simple.

My only issue with falafel is that it is to be fried, which I do not like. So, I air-fry them after I pan-fry them to give it the same feel. Besides, it is healthier too!

You can always make yourself a falafel sandwich and use the falafel as a burger patty. I love that this product, most often is gluten-free, dairy free and wheat-free so it appeals to folks with dietary restrictions.