Falafel and hummus are like two peas in a pod, sharing Middle Eastern roots. These delightful dishes have charmed taste buds across the globe. Making them at home not only ensures the freshest ingredients but also allows personal touches. Custom flavours mean you can tickle your taste buds just the way you like.
Falafel Sandwich (Hey Nutrition Lady) is worlds away from the greasy items offered in supermarkets. This packs hot falafel next to cool cucumber and pickled onions, in a homemade tahini sauce.
Keep these recipes away from pets, due to unsafe ingredients (salt, onion, garlic, mushrooms). Read more on keeping people & pets safe in the kitchen.
A Recipe for Butter Bean Hummus
Hummus is a very popular food in England, of course with Middle Eastern roots. Made with chickpeas (high in protein and calcium), oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt, it’s actually very simple to make yourself. Rather than buying it in supermarkets, where it’s pretty expensive.
True hummus is not eaten at all, like in England. Here the greasy icy-cold hummus is sold in plastic packs, and eaten with crackers. But in the Middle East, it’s freshly-made and served warm with good bread and vegetables.
This butter bean hummus (The Veg Space) is full of protein. A great basic recipe that only needs 4 ingredients (lemon juice, tahini, canned butter beans and garlic), you can then have fun varying up the flavours: add cooked beetroot or vegan pesto to make pink or green hummus, or swap the soil for jarred sun-dried tomatoes.
Keep hummus away from animal friends, due to lemon, garlic, onion and spices. Read more on food safety for people & pets.
Deep South-style Buffalo Hummus
Spicy White Bean Buffalo Hummus (The Vegan 8) is by a super-talented chef, whose recipes always turn out fab. This recipe swaps the chickpeas for tinned cannellini beans, along with roasted red peppers, garlic, paprika, tahini, lemon juice and hot sauce.
Magical Green Falafel (Full of Plants) are super-easy to make, with just 6 ingredients and a few spices. Serve with pita bread, salads and hummus. Also try Thomas’ Falafel Pasta Salad which combines two favourite foods.
The recipe begins by frying mushrooms. While your pasta cooks, add the mushrooms to your favourite hummus, red pepper flakes and lemon zest, and heat. Add pasta water to thin out sauce if wished. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with an extra crack of black pepper.
Top this dish with vegan Parmesan. ‘Proper Parmesan’ cheese is not even vegetarian, as by law it contains a cheese containing calf rennet. If you can’t find plant-based Parmesan in stores (and don’t want to make it), just sub with any vegan grated cheese.
The great thing about this recipe (apart from being super-simple to make and very tasty) is that hummus is made with chickpeas. So unlike stirring a watery jar of tomato sauce over your pasta, this recipe actually contains the protein and calcium to (along with some veggies or a side salad) make it a complete meal.
A Book of Homemade Falafel Recipes
Falafel is the ultimate guide to the popular Middle Eastern fast food, by Croatian chef Dunja Gulin. Using vegetables, nuts, seeds, lentils and grains, find recipes for fennel lemon scented falafel, juicy brown rice faux-lafel, crunchy sesame falafel or falafel croquettes.
You’ll also learn how to make a tasty Mediterranean seed falafel, served with homemade tahini sauce, alongside tangy quick pickles, crispy herb salads and easy flatbreads.
Where to Buy Falafel and Hummus Mix
If you do go down this route, then you can recycle plastic packaging at supermarket bag bins, if your council does not collect kerbside. Amisa Organic Falafel Mix is gluten-free. Serve with mixed salad leaves, olives, cherry tomatoes, sliced onion and hummus for a nice summer lunch.
Just Whole Foods Organic Falafel Mix is delicately spiced with cumin and coriander. Serve in pitta pockets with crisp salad and a drizzle of tahini, or serve on couscous with spicy vegetable stew.
Hummus Where The Heart Is is another of Dunja’s books, this time offering 65 inventive recipes for this delicious favourite, served fresh and warm in the Middle East (not the icy-cold greasy stuff in plastic pots sold in supermarkets).
Learn how to make the perfect homemade hummus (from chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and tahini) then again find recipes to use it – onion jam hummus, Indonesian-style hummus, baked aubergine/eggplant version and dippers, plus even chapters for hummus meals and desserts.
The Magic of Tahini shows how to make your own creamy sesame paste that’s high in protein and calcium (from both black or white sesame seeds). Then use it to create dreamy recipes including strawberry tahini yoghurt, sesame-full quiche, velvety white soup, marbelled muffin and coconut black tahini ice-cream.