Mediterranean Platter

Here's an elegant and clean meal that is satisfying, filled with protein and delicious. It's perfectly satisfying for the Vegetarians as well as the meat lovers.

It has most of our favorite Mediterranean dishes and dips including:

Hummus

Tzatziki Sauce

Tahini

Falafel Balls

Chicken Kebobs

Fresh Vegetables

Toasted Piza Bread

The recipe for the Kebobs can be found in my previous post. 

These are the fresh vegetables that work best with this recipe:

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Onions

Lime

Cilantro

Jalapenos

Lettuce

Chop all the veggies, prepare the dips and make the Falafels and the Chicken Kebobs. 

Either of the Kebobs or the Falafels will perfectly work to make this a complete meal, but I was making this for friends, so I ended up making both.

 

Recipe For Sauces:
I added the recipe for the Dips in my previous post as well.

Falafel Balls:
Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans - 1 Cup dry
Onion - 1 small or half big
Jalapeno/Green Chili - 1
Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Parsley/Cilantro - A small bunch
Salt - To taste
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp

Soak the Chickpeas overnight. All all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarse ground.
Make golf ball sized balls and either fry or bake them.
I love to use the paniyaram pan to make these, since they come out really crispy, just like the fried ones.

Serve with Fresh Vegetables, Toasted Pita and the Sauces.

Falafel patties with Chickpeas and Black beans

This is a good protein dish for vegetarians and it tastes great as an appetizer or a light meal with a side of a salad.

Ingredients:
Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans - 1/2 Cup dry
Black beans: 1/2 Cup dry
Onion - 1 small or half big
Jalapeno/Green Chili - 1
Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Parsley/Cilantro - A small bunch
Salt - To taste
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp

Soak the Chickpeas and Black beans overnight. Alternatively, use canned beans. Drain and wash before use.
All all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarse ground. Mix all the ingredients until well incorporated.
Make patties and bake them or pan fry using very little oil.

Serve with salad or in a pita with Tzatziki and Hummus.

Dips: Tahini, Hummus and Tzatziki Sauce

My upcoming post is going to be a mediterranean platter and I am a fan of these sauces. Hummus is a must in our home and we use it in sandwiches, as dips, in wraps and just about anything we want to add some flavor to.

I love Sabre Hummus and if I don't have some on hand, I can quickly whip some up using canned beans.

Tahini:

Sesame Seeds - 1/2 cup

Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp

Water -  1 to 2 Tbsp

Salt - To taste

Black Peppe - 1 Tsp

Lemon  - A few drops

Dry roast the sesame seeds on medium heat until fragrant. Cool and grind with the rest of the ingredients. Add water as needed, based on how thick the sauce is.

Tzatziki Sauce:

Greek/Hung Yogurt - 1 Cup

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Salt - To Taste

Black Pepper - 1 Tsp

Dill . - 1 Tbsp chopped

English Cucumber - Finely minced - 1/2

Beat the yogurt until smooth and mix all the ingredients.

Hummus:

I have the recipe for Hummus on my blog and adding the link here:                         

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

Cilantro Hummus

Cooked chickpeas - 2 cups
Green Chilis/Jalapenos - 2
Garlic - 2 cloves
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Lemon Juice - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - as required

Blend all the ingredients above with required amount of water until smooth and creamy. Drizzle with some olive oil and serve as a dip or a spread.