Category: Middle Eastern

Ciabatta Sandwich

Ingredients

  • 1 box of Aldi’s couscous
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 cucumber, chopped
  • 1/4 red onion, chopped
  • 1 cup of chopped parsley
  • 1Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tub of Aldi’s Simply Garlic Hummus
  • 2 cups of chopped kale
  • 6 Aldi’s ciabatta sandwich rolls

Steps

  1. Prepare couscous according to package directions. Let cool.
  2. Add tomato, cucumber, red onion, parsely and pine nuts to couscous and mix well.
  3. In a small bowl, prepare dressing. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Add dressing to couscous and mix well.
  4. Bake ciabatta rolls at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Flip rolls and bake another 5 minutes.
  5. Spread hummus on each roll, add couscous and kale. Carefully close bread together to make a sandwich so that contents do not spill out.

Falafel Pita Sandwich

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Aldi’s Frozen Falafel or Trader Joe’s Dill Pickle Mini Falafel
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1/4 cucumber, cubed
  • 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup greens
  • Two whole wheat pita breads

Tahini Sauce

  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 2 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 3 Tbsp. water
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped dill, optional

Steps

  1. Bake falafel according to package directions. I bake an additional 2 minutes for added crispness. Air fry about 15 minutes if falafel is thick.
  2. Chop tomato, cucumber and onion.
  3. In small bowl, whisk together tahini sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt, oil, and water. Add additional water if sauce thickens.
  4. In pan, heat pita bread on both sides on medium heat. Cut in half and open pockets.
  5. Fill each pita pocket three falafel pieces. Top falafel with tahini sauce, chopped veggies and greens, and more sauce on top of veggies.

I like to skip the pita and fill all ingredients in a bowl to eat.

Tahini Sauce adapted from Bryan, Lisa. “Tahini Sauce.” Downshiftology. 9 July,2019, /https://https://downshiftology.com/recipes/tahini-sauce/

Chickpea Hummus

Ingredients

  • 3 green onions, cut into thirds
  • 3 garlic cloves, cut into halves
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, remove longer stems
  • 1 1/2 T dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 5 grindings of pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or northern beans for a smoother texture)
  • 1/2 cup Follow Your Heart Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise

Steps

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Adapted from “Nicole’s Kitchen”.

Nicole’s Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

  • 3 garlic cloves, cut into halves
  • 3 green onions, cut into thirds
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, remove longer stems
  • 4 1/2 tsp. dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt or 1 tsp. Benson’s Salt Free Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. of pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or northern beans for a smoother texture)
  • 1/2 cup Follow Your Heart Origina Oil Vegenaise

Steps

  1. Chop garlic in a food processor. Add green onion and pulse until roughly chopped. Add parsley and chop.
  2. Add basil, salt, seasoning, pepper, lemon, chickpeas and pulse until just becoming chunky.
  3. Add veganaise and pulse until blended but still chunky.

Serve on spring lettuce, sliced tomatoes, veggies or your favorite bread.

Northern beans can be substituted, using a little less Vegenaise.

Adapted from “Nicole’s Kitchen”.