I have a confession to make. I have been trying to start this post for two days, and keep getting lured aside by facebook, and twitter, and articles on celebrities I care nothing about, and new book releases, and about 300 cups of coffee, and… well pretty much anything else that flits into my consciousness. In short, I’ve been sucked into a chasm of parasitic procrastination of the worst possible sort (Okay, maybe that wasn’t “in short”). After all of this puttering around and accomplishing nothing I discover -during a soul sucking bout of aimless twitter-ing- that this week is officially procrastination week! Perhaps my subconscious knew it all along, or maybe it just so happens that I am a serial procrastinator who, during the course of a particularly procrastinatory couple of days, has stumbled upon like-minded, loitering souls doing exactly the same thing as me but embracing it as a leisurely moment of idleness.
But that’s it, I’m taking a stand against my procrastination. Let the blogging begin!
One area where I never encounter an issue of dalliance is food. And really who would delay when faced with beautiful flat-bread enrobed falafel with dill buttermilk dressing? Certainly not me! (In fact falafel would be a delightful distraction from any task if you ask me.)
I’ve had a bit of a thing lately for making flat-bread based lunches. I think it was since making pita bread a couple of weeks ago. While dinner and breakfast seem to spark all kinds of ideas, for some reason my brain rarely thinks beyond soup at lunch. So upon revisiting the glory of a stuffed pita recently, I was reminded of how magnificent a meal it is.
Falafel is classic vegetarian fare. It is delicious, really easy to make, and is brimming with nutrition. It’s energizing and filling, super high in fiber, loaded with protein, and gives you a boost of iron. Add to that a drizzle (or glug) of high protein, calcium rich, probiotic power, with the buttermilk dressing, then top it all off with a pile of fresh veg and a whole grain wrap or pita, and you’ve got a truly worthy lunch.
With my belly full of lunch, and my head a little clearer, a question has developed. I love writing the blog, and find it really fulfilling. It makes me happy. So why on earth do procrastinators -of which I most certainly am a serial case- put off doing the things that make us happy for mindless things that leave us feeling hollow? This may require some serious thought, and could lead to a bit of a mission in mindfulness.
But in the meantime; I have taken my stand against the mire of Procrastination Week and energized myself through action and falafel with dill buttermilk dressing! I’m happy!
- 230g or 1 1/4 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 tsp oil plus a little to brush on the griddle
- 1 small brown onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed with a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 30g or 1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic, crushed with a pinch of salt
- Zest of half a lemon
- 75ml or 1/3 cup of buttermilk
- Fresh veggies such as lettuce and tomato and whatever else you’d like
- 4 whole grain flat-breads, wraps, or pita breads
- Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the onions and cook until beginning to soften, bout 5-8 minutes. Once softened a bit set them aside to cool slightly.
- Put the chickpeas, crushed garlic, cumin, lemon zest, parsley, and cooled onion into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is a fairly fine crumbly texture. Season to taste and then add the egg and pulse a couple more times until evenly combined. Form the mixture into 12 small patties, place them spaced out on a tray in the fridge for 10-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium-high heat and brush the surface with a bit of oil.
- Once the falafel have cooled remove them from the fridge and, working in batches, gently place them onto the hot griddle. Leave them to cook until the underside is dark golden, about 5 minutes. Gently flip them over and leave to cook for about a further 5 minutes, until the other side is golden and the falafel are firm. Place them on a plate in a warm oven while you repeat with the remaining falafel.
- To make the dressing just add all ingredients together and mix until well combined.
- Serve the falafel warm in a warmed flat-bread or pita with your choice of fresh veg and liberally drizzled with the dill and buttermilk dressing.
- If you don't have a food processor you can make the falafel following the same method except chop the onions and parley finely, mash the chickpeas with a masher and then stir the mix together well until evenly distributed.