crispy kale falafel

I love when people come up and tell me how wonderful my food looks on the blog. It makes my whole entire day!! It’s a pretty amazing feeling and thank you guys, SO MUCH, for all the compliments!!

But, to be honest, it always makes me pause for a moment when the photography compliment is either proceeded or followed by “that looked like a good dinner you ate last night” or even “wow, wish I could have the lunch that you ate.” I have to mentally scroll through what I ate for dinner or lunch and try to match that up with what you guys see on the blog.

So if you see me pausing while you are talking, perhaps taking a moment with a strange look on my face….well, here’s the WHOLE story…

I’m a stay-at-home-mom first and foremost so the typical meals that one eats in this job position are as follows: three bites of my son’s leftover store bought tortellini (before it gets disposed of and the dishes shoved into the dishwasher for the umpteenth time,) burnt toast (more times than I’d care to admit,) and cold coffee. Or in my house, cold tea.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I can shove a couple of bites of a salad or some vegetable into my craw before I hear “mommy, I need help!!!” from one room in particular.

It’s a glamourous life, I’m telling you.

So the pictures you see here? Yes, I eat the food.

But most of the time this food is hours old or squished from poking kiddo fingers or from being held in one hand while separating fighting children with the other.

Sometimes there are days of back to back photo sessions while the baby naps, and then there might a long pause between those days and the hours/minutes/seconds I can carve out on the computer to post said pics along with a recipe and some sort of story that I think you guys might find interesting.

It’s hard to get everything done – a balancing act every single day.

But there’s nothing I would change – I get time with my cuties and time to be creative. Neither are balanced nor glamourous – food or kids.

So just a little explanation about the face I might make when you are talking to me about something you see here. I am so excited to hear your feedback, but it will take me a few moments to organize my thoughts while I wonder why you are talking about my three leftover squished tortellini I ate for dinner while herding children from perilous doom.

Okay, so now that the housekeeping is taken care of (hypothetical, I still have laundry and dishes to do) we can eat some yummy lunch!!

Crispy kale falafel (or is it falafels?) stacked into a butter lettuce cup with all the yummy toppings – crispy cucumber, radish slices, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, quick pickled onion and a dab of a hummus-feta sauce that I whipped up at the last moment with just three tablespoons of feta cheese that was in desperate need of a home.

The rest of these goodies were in my fridge and that’s how I would recommend eating them – with your favorite things piled on top. Chocolate cake might be pushing it, but I do not judge as that would be a perfectly acceptable dinner at the stay-at-home household that I currently run.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

XO,

Jenn

crispy kale falafel

makes about nine falafel

I used a recipe by minimalist baker

4 cups stemmed and torn kale (one bunch), or swiss chard

1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 medium to large cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoon tahini

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

salt

black pepper

4 tablespoons garbanzo bean flour

olive oil

pita bread or butter lettuce leaves for serving

various toppings: thinly sliced cucumber, radishes, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, avocado, pickled red onion (recipe here) and hummus-feta dip (recipe below)

Add kale, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and a healthy pinch each salt and pepper to a food processor and mix to combine.

Once well incorporated, transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in garbanzo bean flour until the mixture is thick enough to handle – about 3-4 tablespoons. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Form mixture into falafel by using a cookie dough scoop to have uniform sized falafels or just use your hands to free form the falafel.

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil at a time. Swirl to coat pan.

Add 4 falafel (or however many will fit very comfortably) to the pan at a time. Check at the 1-2 minute mark to ensure they’re not browning too quickly. If they are, slightly reduce heat. Flip once deep golden brown – about 3-4 minutes. Cook until the underside is golden brown as well.

Serve immediately in a pita or lettuce cup with hummus and/or toppings of choice. Will store in the fridge, layered with parchment paper in an airtight container, for several days. Freeze to keep longer.

hummus-feta dip

Mix together 1 1/2 cups hummus with 3-4 tablespoons of feta cheese. That’s it!! 🙂