leftover lovin'

One of the tricks to cooking for a family is making the food last, extending it for more than one meal. It can get tricky sometimes, especially when everyone likes different things.

My son grazes all day long, usually on fruits but also on cucumbers, carrots and broccoli. This sounds great but it's a total drag when you go to make supper and there are no veggies left because he decided to eat a kilo of something for an afternoon snack.

To help combat this I usually make larger recipes of meals. When a recipe says it will feed 4 I usually add a little more of everything so it will feed six, then I get lunches for a day or two after.

This weeks menu plan has worked well for this. On Sunday I made falafel, lots of falafel. Fantastic Foods has a great falafel mix, the flavor is top notch and the quantity is generous. It's low fat, vegan, has no saturated fat and is high in fiber. They also have recipes to use with the mix here. Many natural food stores carry this in bulk.

This makes for great lunches, at least 4 days of lunches and falafel freezes really well so you don't have to eat them right away or day after day.

If you prefer to make your own, try this **recipe:

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
• 1 large onion, chopped
• garlic, chopped (to your taste)
• fresh parsley, chopped (to your taste)
• coriander (to your taste)
  
• cumin (to your taste)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Salt & Pepper (to your taste)
• Oil for frying

Preparation:

Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. Add flour.
Mash chickpeas, mix ingredients well. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want a thick paste.
Form the mixture into small balls, about an 1.5 inches in diameter. Slightly flatten.
Fry in oil until golden brown, turning as needed. (5-7 minutes).
Drain and serve.

** When I make falafel I usually make them more patty-like instead of balls. They cook a little faster and use less oil this way.

And for a yummy twist on this classic, check out this recipe from Veggie Meal Plans!

enjoy!
martha