Meatless Funday!

Meatless Monday is big right now.  In our house we have cut down on our meat consumption quite a bit for diet, health and ethical issues.  Don't worry  I'm not going to get on my anti-factory farming soap box (although as we all know, it is a great thing to buy local and from small farms and ranches).  Anyway, salads get boring and I don't know about you but I need to feel satisfied and want to have some substance to my salad.  So, I said to myself, what could I add to my salad to make it hearty but keep it meat free.  I went to my pantry and low and behold there was a box of falafel mix staring me in the face! Hooray! For those of you to whom Falafel is something new, here a quick definition of Falafel;  Falafel      (فلافل‎) is a fried ball or patty made from groundchickpeas, fava beans or both. Falafel is a traditional Arab food, usually served in flat bread.  Got it? Good! This is an easy, healthy salad that is packed with flavors and will leave you satisfied!  So embrace meatless Monday, if not for ethical reasons then do it for your health and your budget!




Falafel Salad with Jalapeno Tzatziki
Written, developed and tested by: Vanessa Madigan

Ingredients:
1 bag baby greens
1 box of Falafel mix
2 avocados, sliced
2 tomatos, sliced
jalapeno tzatziki (recipe below)
the juice of one lemon
salt
pepper


Directions:

• Prepare the jalapeno tzatziki in advance using the directions below.
• Prepare the falafel according to the instructions on the package, set aside to drain.
• Stack your salad starting with falafel, tzatziki, avocado, tomato, lettuce and repeat.  Dress with the lemon juice, salt and pepper

Jalapeno Tzatziki
Written, developed and tested by: Vanessa Madigan

Ingredients:

2 lb Greek Yogurt

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Cups Cucumber, finely chopped

2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp White Wine Vinegar

2 jalapenos, chopped and seeded

1 Clove of Garlic, crushed

Directions:

• Take your chopped cucumber and place in a fine strainer with the 2 tsp of salt, let them sit for about 1/2 of an hour so that much of the liquid drains from the cucumber.
• While the cucumber is draining, take your yogurt and place it in cheese cloth in a colander or strainer to help drain off the excess liquid. If you do not have cheese cloth you can put the yogurt directly into the colander, the yogurt should be pretty firm and you wont lose much through the holes.
• When your cucumber is drained, place it in a medium sized bowl with the  jalapeno, olive oil and garlic, stir well.
• Add your drained yogurt to the cucumber mixture and stir well, season with salt to taste.
• Refrigerate for about an hour and serve with your favorite pita, burger or whatever!

This is the brand that I use, but you can find Falafel mix down the "international" aisle of any grocery store.  It is usually located somewhere between the kosher food and the kim chee!