Ms. Matari's Falafels Over Greek Salad

| INGREDIENTS:

FALAFEL:

1 cup dried chickpeas soaked in 4 cups of water overnight or 2 15oz cans cooked chickpeas

• 1 medium red onion, chopped

• 1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro chopped or a mix of both

• 3 cloves of peeled garlic

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

GREEK SALAD:

• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4 inch thick

• 1 red bell pepper, large-diced

• 1 yellow bell pepper, large-diced

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds

• 1/2 pound feta cheese, 1/2-inched diced (not crumbled)

• 1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

VINAIGRETTE:

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To make the falafels, preheat oven to 400F. Rinse and drain soaked chickpeas (or canned chickpeas)

2. Add all the ingredients EXCEPT olive oil and sesame seeds into food processor and pulse for 30 seconds or until the mixture is coarse (be careful not to over-blend). If your processor is small, blend in batches

3. Using a small cookie scoop, spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter onto a late baking sheet. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Repeat until you run out of falafel mixture.

4. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil onto falafel. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the outside is golden and crispy.

5. To make greek salad, placed the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, red onion, and olives in a large bowl.

6. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and set aside for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Top the salad with feta cheese and serve at room temperature.

Ms. Matari and Tatiyana whisking the vinaigrette.