Falafel Pizza and Middle Eastern Kale and Roasted Veggie Salad

Adam rarely gets excited about vegetarian food, so when he raved about this meal the other night, I knew the recipe was a keeper.

Don't worry if you don't have some (or any) of the herbs and spices I used, it will still turn out great.

Falafel Pizzas

1 box falafel mix (or use fresh or frozen from the health food store)

4 small zucchini, cut into thin rounds
2 sweet red bell peppers, cut into quarters
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minsed
1 tbls za'atar seasoning mix (or 1/2 tsp each ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, cumin, and coriander)
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

1 can tomato paste
1 can of water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp za'atar seasoning mix (or 1/4 tsp each ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, cumin, coriander, and salt)
Hot crushed chili flakes, to taste (optional)

2 tbls tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground cumin

6-100% whole grain pocketless pitas

For the pizzas, follow directions for falafel mix - I had to add water and let stand 1 hour. If desired, season mix with extra fresh garlic and/or ground cumin. Using a large spoon, Drop large balls of batter onto a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed. Flatten into pucks and bake at 450F for about 12-15 minutes. This can be done even a day or two ahead of time and they can be refrigerated or frozen.

Combine veggies with oil, vinegar and seasonings. Spread out on baking sheets and roast at 350F for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine tomato paste, water and seasonings in small saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts to bubble, turn off heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together tahini with lemon juice and seasonings and set aside.

Place pitas on a baking sheet. Spread with tomato sauce. Take a falafel and crumble one onto each pita. Top each with a drizzle of tahini sauce and some roasted veggies. Bake at 425F for about 10-12 minutes until pitas are crispy and falafel crumbles have some crunch.


Salad

1 head kale, washed and patted dry, torn into small pieces, tough stems removed
Roasted veggies

2 tbls tahini
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or more)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbls nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste

Throw all the ingredients into a blender for a few seconds until combined. Thin out with extra vinegar, if desired.

Toss kale with dressing and refigerate for 2+ hours, or if you are short on time, massage dressing into leaves to soften and then refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Roughly chop roasted veggies you made for pizzas and toss in with kale. It's fine to do this warm and eat the salad warm/room temperature.

Leftover falafels can be frozen. Leftover tomato sauce can be frozen or refrigerated for a few days. Leftover pizzas can be frozen and then reheated again by placing them in the oven or toaster oven. Salad should be eaten within 24 hours.