Nope, that is not a typo. Yes, I may be becoming a little too into merging words together. Which goes nicely with my growing add-kale-to-anything-and-everything mentality. If you haven’t guessed by now, “kalafel” = kale + falafel. I’ve wanted to make homemade hummus and falafel for awhile now, and, still feeling invincible after finally making a successful acai bowl yesterday, I decided to try to make it for a late lunch today. IT WAS AWESOME! The hummus turned out amazingly light and fluffy. I had visions of eating clouds of chickpeas. You couldn’t taste the kale in the falafel, but rather it tasted like normal (albeit lighter and less greasy) falafel. I literally couldn’t stop saying “whoa this actually tastes like real hummus & falafel!” My friend & my dad can be my witnesses. Best of all it was quick!
BEST FOR- times you reallllly want mediterranean food and have a decent amount of chickpeas at your disposal.
MUSICAL PAIRING- “When U Love Somebody” by The Fruit Bats
So, I prepared my kalafel first. Then while the kalafel was baking I prepared my hummus. I presented the recipes in this order. Of course, you can make them in whichever order you wish, or simply make one. I’ll definitely be making this hummus once a week from now on. I officially see no need to buy hummus when making it is so quick and easy and delicious.
KALAFEL INGREDIENTS
(serves 2-3)
1 cup kale
1 cup dried chickpeas (soaked for an hour– see step 1)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 ¼ tsp tahini
Juice of ½ large lemon
⅛ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cumin
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper
KALAFEL DIRECTIONS
- First, you have to deal with the chickpeas. This is the hardest part because it’s an hour of nothingness that you have to wait before you can get to the fun part: actually making the food. I loathe this part. Sadly, canned chickpeas yield badly formed falafel that don’t like to stay together when cooked. So, for perfect falafel (or kalafel in our case) you must do the following. Place the dried chickpeas in a small pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 2 more minutes. Then, remove from burner and let sit for an hour.
- After an hour, strain the chickpeas. Preheat oven to 375°. Add the chickpeas and all other kalafel ingredients to the food processor. Blend until smooth (about a minute). Taste. Now is the time to add more salt/ pepper/ lemon etc. if it seems it is missing. Obviously I didn’t add anything since I chose how much of each ingredient goes in but everyone has their own tastes. You do you.
- Wash your hands (although I’m really hoping you did this before step 1). Form balls of kalafel. I could tell you how, but it’s pretty instinctive. Make sure they’re tightly packed. As for size, think of a normal meatball (sorry if that’s a gross visual for vegetarians). Or check out my pictures below for reference.
- Coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Use a paper towel to evenly coat and get off the excess (after all we’re baking them instead of frying them to reduce oil and increase healthiness). Place kalafel on the baking sheet, kinda like cookies (except they wont spread out). Bake for 13 minutes. After 13 minutes, flip each kalafel and rotate the pan 90 degrees. Put the pan of kalafel back in the oven for an additional 13 minutes, or until they’re a nice golden brown.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~HUMMUS TIME!~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
HUMMUS INGREDIENTS
(serves 4)
1 can chickpeas
Juice of 1 whole lemon
⅓ cup tahini
Handful fresh parsley
¼ tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sprinkling of pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
2 tbs. olive oil
HUMMUS DIRECTIONS
- Add all ingredients in blender and whirl together until smooth and creamy. Yup. That easy. You’re welcome.
******** oh and you can keep it in an airtight container for up to a week (or so my dad tells me)********
I put my hummus and kalafel on a salad, added tomatoes, and topped it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can really do whatever with them! Simply munch on the kalafel dipped in hummus. Put them in a pita and add lettuce/ tomatoes/ red onion/ tahini sauce etc. Eat them with pita chips. Your imagination is your limit! Although, if my dog Bella is the judge, my idea wins 🙂
The Carmel Kama'aina 