Author: lara

Ingredients
4 to 6 pita pocket breads (we like the whole wheat ones)
hearts of romaine lettuce leaves
your choice of tomatoes (sliced Romas, or halved cherry or grape tomatoes are good)
one batch Tzatziki (recipe follows)
one batch Falafel (recipe follows)

Tzatziki

1 small (6 ounce) container of plain yogurt
3/4 cup peeled, seeded, diced cucumber
(I used two “baby” seedless ones)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a sprinkle each of paprika and dill

Gently blend stir all ingredients together. Flavors are better if you make this a day before you need it.

WARNING!: This is VERY garlicky tzatziki, so garlicky that’s it’s “hot”. If this thought frightens you (or those that live with you), feel free to cut back on the garlic amount to your taste.

Falafel

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, with liquid
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
about 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
2 Tbsp. minced Italian parsley
1 tsp. ground coriander seed
1 tsp. ground cumin seed
1/2 tsp. salt
a sprinkle of pepper to taste
canola oil to fry the falafel (2 – 3 cups?)

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of garbanzo flour in medium-sized bowl. Mash with a potato masher into a smooth, thick paste (use blender or food processor, if you prefer). Scoop paste out with a large spoon, about 1/4 cup at a time, and form into small balls, about 1 and 1/2 inches across, then flatten them slightly into “cakes”. Dredge them, one at a time, in the remaining 1/2 cup of garbanzo flour. Fry falafel patties in about 2 inches of canola oil until golden brown (2-5 minutes), turning once. (I actually should have cooked the ones in the photos a few minutes longer, so cook yours until they’re a little darker.) Drain on paper towels. Makes about 12 falafel patties.

NOTE: If you can’t find garbanzo bean flour, or just don’t want to mess with it, you can drain the liquid from the garbanzo beans and just omit the garbanzo flour. If you still can’t reach the right “pasty” consistency, you can add just enough regular all-purpose flour to reach the right texture.

To make sandwiches:
Cut an inch or so off one edge of pita bread and gently open to create a pocket inside (mine tore a little – sometimes microwaving the bread for 15 -20 seconds, wrapped in a damp paper towel, helps to soften it). Gently place some romaine lettuce leaves and tomatoes inside. Add 2 or 3 falafel, then spoon in the tzatziki. Have lots of napkins on hand! Yum, yum, yum!

2 Hot Mamas (Best Friend and me) at the Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine

Best Friend and I went to Jacksonville, Florida last weekend for some “Girls’ Weekend” R & R. It was a lot of fun and it was great to catch up (she lives 1500 miles away). We spent the first night with some dear friends of hers who are charming hosts. They made us a delicious dinner of chicken with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes and wonderful breakfast. They weather was a little chilly, drizzly and cloudy while we were there, but we had a great time, anyway – the hotel bar made GREAT, spicy Bloody Marys and there was a Starbucks IN THE HOTEL – what more could you ask for? We spent some time at a spa, having things polished and waxed and ate lots of great food (mmmm….seafood). We went on a “Ghost Tour” in St. Augustine one night, too – spooky! We had a fabulous dinner of tapas at the Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine. Their mojito is the best I’ve ever had, their black bean cakes were scrumptious and they had some mussels with chorizo that were AMAZING. I think I’m still in a “Spanish” kind of mood, still dreaming of my favorite show, “Top Chef” and winner Ilan Hall’s Spanish bent. There is a huge feature on him in this month’s Food & Wine magazine. I can’t wait to try his recipe for Fideo Cakes with Shrimp and Chorizo.

I attempted to copy the artichoke chicken recipe for dinner last night. The recipe was originally from a package of Knorr French Onion soup (recipe here), but I adapted it quite a bit to try to eliminate a little salt and fat.

Baked Chicken with Artichoke Hearts and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced white onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1/3 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
4 artichoke hearts
1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning (or make your own with a bit of oregano, rosemary, basil, etc.)
sprinkle of salt and pepper
a bit (1/2 cup?) of chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tomatoes in chicken stock to soak and soften. If they don’t soften quickly enough, microwave them for one or two minutes (in the stock). Lightly spray baking pan (approx. 13 X 9, or slightly smaller) with cooking spray. Place chicken in pan and lightly season it with salt and pepper. Saute onion in olive oil over low heat, stirring gently and frequently, until onions are softened and very lightly browned. Gently fold together garlic, herbs, artichokes, softened tomatoes (with stock) and browned onions. Place a mound of this mixture on top of each chicken breast and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until chicken breasts are thoroughly cooked.

My adaptations from the original recipe:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, instead of the bone-in ones.
Dry tomatoes, instead of oil-packed.
Water-packed artichoke hearts, instead of the ones in marinade, adding herbs for flavor.
I think all of the substitutions were OK, except for the dry tomatoes. There is just nothing that can substitute for the chewy texture of the oil-packed ones. Mine tasted fine, but were too soft.

This recipe was VERY easy and a really big hit with me and Hubby. Boy and Girl liked it, too, but Boy ate the artichokes and Girl ate the tomatoes – no big surprise there.