One of my favorite foods is falafel. I've always wanted to try making it so tomorrow, for Meatless Monday, I will be making it for the first time. Today, I cooked a bag of garbanzo beans to use. Cooking your own chick peas, also known as garbanzo beans, is easy to do. You can soak them overnight and cook them the next day, or if you have plenty of time around the house, you can eliminate the soaking.
Here is what I do. I chop a large onion and add a 1 pound bag of dry beans to a large stock pot and over them with water, plus about 3 more quarts of water. Bring them to a full boil, then turn down on low and simmer for about 4-5 hours. Add lots of water because it does boil off and you don't want them to get dry. Also, the broth you get from cooking these is soooo delicious. You will want to use this instead of chicken broth from now on! It's really flavorful and so good for you. It doesn't have the fat that homemade chicken broth does. Cook the beans, checking periodically for water level, keeping them covered in water in a covered pot, until they are nice a tender.
One bag will make a large amount. I'm having a mug of the beans with a little S & P and a drip of rice wine vinegar...so delicious and good for you! Tomorrow I will attempt falafel and I'll be sure to post the results along with a picture!
We have small shops around here where we can buy hot homous (chickpeas) from a big vat! They are so tasty with just a bit of salt and pepper. My 12 year loves to chop up a tomato in his and eat it that way. Yummo! I haven't tried homemade falafel as it is quite easy to get anywhere here. Good luck with yours. Best wishes, Tammy
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