DDD #155 – Fresh Homemade Falafel & Pickled Turnips

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Posted on May 1, 2020

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2020

To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

Click the image below to watch the video.

These guys are REALLY easy to make but this recipe makes a fuckton. If you make more than you want to eat immediately – form them into 1″ balls & place – UNCOOKED – on a cookie sheet & parchment paper. Freeze. Once frozen, you can transfer them to a Ziplock bag. Thaw before frying.

FRESH FALAFEL

Makes about 40 falafels

INGREDIENTS

1 lb DRY garbanzo beans (chickpeas) – soaked overnight in deep water

1/2 onion

1 jalapeno or serrano (optional)

5 garlic cloves

1 cup parsley

1 cup cilantro

1 TBS turmeric

2 TBS ground cumin (maybe more – to suit your taste)

1 TBS ground coriander

juice of 1 lemon (2-3 TBS)

2 TBS olive oil

1 TBS salt (maybe more – to suit your taste)

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp baking powder (this will make the falafel a bit lighter)

1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

Water – just enough to get the ingredients to blend but go easy – start with 1/2 cup

Oil for frying

GARNISH – pickled turnips (recipe below), chopped tomato, sliced cucumber, pita bread, lettuce, red onion, tahini-yogurt dressing (recipe below) and maybe HUMMUS, tabbouleh, lemon wedges, tzatziki sauce, garlic paste (toum)

DIRECTIONS

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor using as little water as possible – until combined. It should be moist but crumbly.

Form 1″ falafel balls. Do not go too big or they will be burned outside or raw inside. Raw dough will keep several days in the fridge.

Heat oil on high & fry – turning to cook evenly. They should cook in about a minute on each side. Drain on paper towels.

Serve as you will!

PICKLED TURNIPS

Makes enough for 40 falafel

INGREDIENTS

1 red beet

2 lbs turnips – peeled & cut into matchsticks

1/3 cup kosher salt

1 cup white vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve the salt in the water & vinegar. If you need to warm it – that is OK but not not put the turnips in until it is cooled completely. Add the turnips & beet & store in a jar overnight. They should last a good two weeks in the fridge.

TAHINI-YOGURT SAUCE

Mix 1/4 cup tahini with 3/4 cups vegan yogurt. Season with S&P, minced garlic and/or lemon juice. Maybe a pinch of cumin and chopped parsley. It should keep for the lifetime of the yogurt.

DDD #95 – Vegan Vietnamese Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich with Pickled Vegetables & Sriracha Mayo

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Posted on April 30, 2018

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2018

Follow @celisemccarthy

To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

Click the image above to watch the video. This fucker was awesome! There are a few steps to assemble the ingredients but they are all easy. You can make this with any sort of chicken substitute you might like. I am obsessed with Beyond Meat strips. They do not have an overpowering taste & can easily be manipulated & I like the texture, too. Seitan works nicely, too!

Traditionally, banh mi have pork in them but I haven’t found a decent fake pork – unless you believe that pork is “the new white meat.” If so – this fake chicken could masquerade as fake pork, too.

This takes a few hours of planning ahead so that you can marinate the chicken & pickle the carrots & jalapeno & daikon.

If you cannot find vegan fish sauce – there are lots of pretty simple recipes for vegan fish sauce HERE. Whatever you do, do not skip the marinade because it tastes great & the sriracha mayo is good enough to eat with a spoon.

Marinated Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich

Makes two sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

2 crusty rolls or some high quality baguette

8 oz faux chicken

1 avocado – cut into slices

1/2 cucumber – sliced thin

leafy lettuce

2 radishes – sliced thin

1 jalapeno – seeded & sliced thin

cilantro

Olive oil or cooking spray

For the pickled vegetables

1 carrot – cut into matchsticks

daikon – cut into matchsticks

1 jalapeno – seeded & cut into matchsticks

3 cups warm water

3 TBS sugar

2 TBS salt

4 TBS white or rice vinegar

For the marinade

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

6 garlic cloves (or to taste) – minced

4 shallots (or 1/2 small onion) – diced

2 TBS fish sauce (vegan version – or omit it)

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp Chinese five spice

1 TBS hoisin sauce

1 tsp sriracha (or to taste)

For the spicy mayo

1/4 cup vegan mayo

1 lime

3 TBS sriracha

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 350.

For the pickled vegetables

Warm the water & add the sugar, salt & vinegar & stir until the sugar & salt dissolve. Put the matchstick veggies in a bowl or jar & cover with the warm water mix. Store in the fridge for at least and hour or two.

For the marinade

Blend all the marinade ingredients & add the chicken to it. Store in the fridge for at least an hour.

For the spicy mayo

Blend the mayo with the sriracha & the juice of the lime. Store in the fridge.

For the Banh Mi

Prepare the cucumber, avocado, radishes & jalapeno. Set aside.

Heat a frying or grill pan. Treat it with cooking spray or olive oil & cook up the marinated chicken. Set aside.

Scoop the soft part of the bread out & throw it away. Heat the bread in the warm oven for 5 minutes.

To assemble – simply spread some spicy mayo on the bread. Then layer on some chicken. Then pickled veggies (drained well!) & radish slices. Add sliced cucumber & jalapeno. Add lettuce & cilantro. Add some avocado. Smash it together. Shove it in your face – and feel free to dip it in the extra spicy mayo.

See? What’d I tell you?