The Price of Tea

Recipe of the Week: Falafel Patties with Kale and Feta Salad

I don't know if the rumors are true, but female-China-expat-urban-legend states that there are so many hormones in the chicken we eat, that girls are developing earlier than they normally would in their home countries. Along the same lines, male-China-expat-urban-legend states that even the "local" girls are developing breasts in an otherwise typically flat-chested society. Wonder if it's working for the men? This is a bit of a pickle for us because Rob has high cholesterol so chicken is a staple. In an effort to cut down on our chicken intake, I've introduced lots of vegetarian dishes into the weekly menu. The following is our favorite:

Falafel Patties (I've listed the exact recipe, though I sautee onion and garlic until tender instead of powdered versions. I also use fresh herbs instead of dried versions).

1 c Garbanzo bean flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand likely available at Whole Foods)

1/2 t sea salt

1/4 t baking soda

1 t parsley flakes

1/2 t ground cumin

1/4 t ground coriander

1/2 t garlic granules

1/4 t onion powder

2 t lemon juice

1/2 c hot water

2 T olive oil (for frying)

Combine all dry ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Add water and lemon juice and stir until combined. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes.

Heat oil on Med-High until hot. Add batter by the tablespoon and flatten. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towel to drain excess oil. Yields 12 patties.

Kale and Feta Salad

1 lb washed, organic kale, de-stemmed and chopped

20 cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and quartered

2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/2 cubes

1/2 c chopped feta

Red Wine Vinegarette (not sure of exact measurements)

1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

1 T lemon juice

1 T honey

1 clove garlic, smashed

salt and pepper to taste

Pour over salad and toss

Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin (with other good stuff) Soup

One of the fun things about living abroad is learning about other cultures' culinary customs. I've discovered that pumpkin is a huge part of international diets. From South Africa, to the UK, to China, etc. Growing up, the only thing we used pumpkin for was pie and jack-o-lanterns...occasionally a gift of pumpkin bread would appear at our house during the holidays.

I have taken a British friend of mine's recipe for pumpkin soup and made it low fat by making it broth-based instead of cream-based.

2T olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 small pumpkin

2 sweet potatoes

1 white potato

2 carrots

1 bulb garlic

1 liter water (for thinner soup increase liquid to your liking)

2 veg or chix stock cubes (or 1 liter veg or chix broth)

salt and pepper to taste

Sautee onion in olive oil. Roast all other veggies for 1 hour at 350 (175 C). Mash all veggies except carrots together. I like to dice the carrots...gives the soup a little texture. Add broth and veggies to onion. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and voila, yummy, healthy, homemade soup.

I made it last night and served it with roasted garlic beer bread.