The Big Easy...and Big Fears

Friends, I'm heading down to New Orleans for a few days. My job has been gracious enough to send me to a sweet training that will be immensely useful in my work with my students.

While I'm super excited about this training, my joy has been eclipsed by a bigger issue: I'm flat-out terrified of flying. I'm panicky about even being in an airport, let alone taking off.

And as anxious as I am about flying, I'm perhaps equally as scared of the whole transferring-to-a-connecting-flight situation. What if the first plane is running late and I miss my connecting flight? What if I get pulled over by a security guard for a pat-down? WHAT IF MY TOOTHPASTE TUBE IS TOO BIG?!

If you haven't noticed, your happy-go-lucky, food-lovin' Hungry Spoon disappeared momentarily. She's been replaced with a beady-eyed ball of nerves.

And speaking of food, my co-workers told me it's probably not a good idea to pack a jar of almond butter in my carry-on.

Someone. Send. Help.

But enough about me and my irrational flight-fear ramblings. You came for food, and I'm here to deliver.

Remember that carrot dip I raved about earlier this week? Today I'd like to share its dinner partner: Falafel Patties. These guys pack a punch of powerful flavor--they're heavy on lemon and garlic, which made me a happy lady. We topped our Falafel patties with caramelized onions, carrot dip, and a little spinach. Adam went sandwich style with his, and I took the bun-less option.

So friends, I'll leave you with this Falafel Fun until I return from The Big Easy. I'll be back in town by Wednesday evening...assuming I don't collapse in the airport and catatonically rock back and forth in the fetal position until security has me committed.

This should be interesting :)

Baked Falafel Patties

(adapted from a recipe in Veggie Burgers Every Which Way)

The lemon and garlic really shine in this awesome baked take on Falafel. As noted above, we served ours with caramelized onions and curried carrot dip. Make it as a sandwich, or crumble on top of a lunch salad!

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• 1 TBSP ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. If the mixture is too dry to form patties, you can add a little water until they come together (not too much though! They'll fall apart in the oven if they are too liquidy)

3) Shape into 6 patties and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve with curried carrot dip and caramelized onions (as a sandwich or in a salad).