Falafel Recipe - healthy baked falafel

This baked falafel recipe is a tasty and nutritious way to enjoy chickpeas (garbanzo beans).



Falafel is traditionally fried, but a baked falafel can make a a tasty, healthy, and easy alternative to the tried and true oil-splatter-fest.

Baked Falafel Recipe Ingredients:
1 15oz can CHICKPEAS
1/4 cup CILANTRO
1/4 cup PARSLEY
1/4 cup ONION
2-3 cloves GARLIC
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
CAYENNE PEPPER, to taste
1 tsp CORIANDER
1 tsp CUMIN
1/4 tsp BAKING POWDER
1 Tbsp BREAD CRUMBS (or flour)
1 Tbsp LEMON JUICE
SALT, to taste
-- Optional garnishes --
HUMMUS, YOGURT, VEGGIES, PITA SLICES

Drain and rinse 15oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Combine in a food processor with all ingredients (except 1 Tbsp olive oil and bread crumbs). Mix roughly--pulse--DO NOT puree into a smooth consistency. Place mixture into a bowl and combine with dried bread crumbs (or substitute flour). Form into discs--I like to get 10 out of this recipe because they cook up well and fit nicely into a pita pocket--but make them as big as you like, and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
(Refrigerate 1-2 hours before cooking if you have the time--they'll bake better, maybe, but it's not the end of the world if you don't. I actually prefer putting them in the fridge for a bit, but sometimes I don't, and the difference is negligible.)
Place on a flat baking sheet and lightly drizzle or brush with olive oil.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, then turn falafel and bake for 10 more minutes to brown each side (a total cooking time of 30 minutes).
Serve with hummus, yogurt, veggies, and pita slices--or stuff inside a pita to make a delicious falafel sandwich.
And that's it, man. Give this baked falafel recipe a try and let me know what you think and bon appetit!

And if you wanna make your own hummus try this Easy Hummus Recipe.

Easy Baked Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

Baked jalapeno poppers are quick and easy and cheesy. And bread crumby. And can be garlicky, too, if you like.



Thanks for watching, give it a go, and let me know what you think.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers Ingredients:
6 large JALAPENO peppers
8oz CREAM CHEESE
1 cup shredded CHEESE
4-5 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped)
about 1/4 cup CILANTRO (chopped)
1 tsp smoked PAPRIKA
1 tsp ONION POWDER
SALT and PEPPER, to taste
(dill, cumin, cayenne, and cajun mix
go well in poppers--experiment
with your favorite seasonongs)

Set cream cheese out from fridge for at least 1/2 hour to allow time to soften.
Cut stems from peppers, but not enough to open the back of the pepper entirely, this shallow cut will leave enough of the top of the pepper in place to form a "wall" that will hold the cheese as it bakes. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and ribs; your jalepeno should look like a little rowboat (without oars or lifejacket).
In a bowl, throughly mix cream cheese, shredded cheese, cilantro, and seasonings together.
Spoon cheese mixture into pepper boats. Fill each pepper entirely, but do not overfill--just to the top of each pepper--mounded cheese will only make a mess and disrupt the optimal cheese to pepper ratio.
In a skillet, on medium heat, melt 2-3 Tbsp butter. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Turn off heat and add bread crumbs. Stir until butter is absorbed and garlic is mixed well with bread crumbs. Or, if you don't want to fool with garlic cloves--just substitute garlic powder.
Press peppers cheese side down into the crumb mixture, then turn over and mound extra crumb topping on the peppers.
Place peppers on a baking sheet and cook 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees F.
When the crumb topping is baked golden, remove and allow peppers to rest 5 minutes.
After that, you can do whatever your heart desires.
Give this baked jalapeno poppers recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!

And if you wanna saute some poppers on the stove top with onions, try this Stove Top Poppers Recipe.

Maki Sushi

Sushi is one of the healthiest and most entertaining foods you can put on the table…and pretty easy to prepare. One of my favorite sushi dishes is maki sushi (makizushi), or sushi wrapped in dried seaweed (nori).

To make you’ll need:

---A sushi roller (available at many supermarkets, most health food stores and every Asian market. You can get one around $2 to $4)
---6 to 7 nori (dried seaweed sheets)
---2 cups of rice (do not use long grain rice! Japanese sushi rice can be used, but I prefer short-grain brown rice.)
---1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
---salt (to taste, I use very little)
---an assortment of sliced vegetables, fish, etc. Feel free to experiment with your choices. I generally use a mix of the following: Avocado, cucumber, carrot, green onions, red peppers, salmon (I buy 3oz pre-packaged smoked salmon for convenience, since I use so little), shrimp, crab, cream cheese, and asparagus (lightly steamed). Mix and match and find combos you enjoy. I find that I almost always use avocado.
---sushi can be served with soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger slices. I like to sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over my finished sushi—it adds a great taste and looks nice, too.

Directions:
Prepare rice according to directions. Remove from stove and add vinegar. Gently mix and set aside to cool. Slice desired ingredients for filling. For a full dinner for two, I generally use 6-7 nori. Place nori shiny side down on your sushi roller. When rice is cool, spread desired amount over nori. I like heaps of rice in my maki sushi, approx. ¾ to1 cup. Spread so that the rice covers the nori leaving ¼ inch on the two sides and on the end closest to you. Leave 1 inch open on the far end of the seaweed sheet. Pull the nori flush with the back end of the roller. Lay the sliced fillings across the rice and, holding the ingredients in check with your fingers, use the roller to roll the seaweed over the ingredients and then press gently along the top and sides. The seaweed should form a nice wrap around the ingredients. Pull the seaweed roll to the back of the roller and roll forward once more until the nori is shaped entirely around the fillings. Use a sharp knife to slice into sushi, and wipe the knife frequently for a cleaner cut. I usually get 6-7 pieces per roll.

After I plate my sushi, I sprinkle lightly with toasted sesame seeds (optional) and serve with wasabi, soy sauce, plum sauce, and pickled ginger slices.

It’s an amazingly easy dish to prepare and a great way to impress a date or get yourself out of the doghouse (if you’re at that stage in your relationship). It kicks ass at parties and your friends will think you are more hip than you probably are --but only if you USE CHOPSTICKS!!!

Kick Ass Jalapeno Poppers

Chef Buck cooks up some kick-ass Jalapeno Poppers.

Jalapeno Poppers Recipe
---ingredients:
6-8 jalapeno peppers
4oz cream cheese
2 onions (chopped)
Herbs (cilantro, dill, cilantro, etc) to taste (minced)
1-2 tsp Cumin
Salt (to taste)
¼ cup Bread Crumbs
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Remove cream cheese from fridge to soften (about 30 min. early). Slice off pepper tops and de-seed (a hand peeler makes this easy). Mix cream cheese, herbs, cumin, and salt together. Stuff peppers with cream cheese mixture. Dab the ends of the peppers into the bread crumbs to help seal the cream cheese inside. Heat olive oil in skillet to med heat. Add chopped onions (also add chopped red bell peppers if desired). Gently add stuffed jalapenos to the skillet. Stir onions and turn the peppers gently to cook on all sides. Some cream cheese may leak out, but it only makes the dish taste better. Cook 10-15 minutes until peppers are sautéed to liking.

Redneck Deviled Eggs

All measurements should be adjusted to your taste. Here's a sorta list of ingredients:

8 boiled eggs
2 tablespoons pickle relish
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonaise
1/2 small onion --finely chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon creole or grey poupon mustard (optional)
1/2 teaspooon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon creole pepper
dash of salt
sprinkle with paprika and dill weed