Falafel with Chipotle Mayo and Spicy Homemade Hummus

I'm going to be honest with you, this won't be the blog post I'm the most proud of.  It's a bit of a sham.  For one, I started with this:



Now you know I know how to make falafel.  It really isn't difficult.  But I just didn't take a lot of time to read this recipe before I made it, and I thought I'd be doctoring the falafel mix more than I actually did...which ended up being not at all.  Still, I know some people might really like the kind that comes in a packet, so I didn't think it could hurt to show you how to make falafel from a packet a little more special.



Of course, making the hummus isn't all that different from making falafel.  In fact, it's almost exactly the same.  But at least this way you don't need to clean the food processor twice.  I adjusted this basic hummus recipe to be a little bit spicy, and I really enjoyed it! But, this brings me to the other reason why this post is a sham, my brain was totally slipping on remembering to take pictures, so you only get the final product.  Sorry!



And I'm also sorry to say that my other pictures aren't exactly my best either.  I don't even have more than 1 decent picture of the finished sandwich - my others were totally out of focus.  It was just one of those days. I'll try to make sure I do better next time :)



This recipe was so easy and really great.  I think the hummus can have so many other applications, including just having it with some carrots as an appetizer.  Making hummus couldn't be easier, and it's way cheaper than buying it pre-made, so I hope that's the big takeaway here.  Chipotle mayo, always great, and you can use greek yogurt instead (like I did here), and adds that creamy moisture a good sandwich needs.  I think these ingredients are all easy to keep in the house at any time for a simple dinner you can throw together in no time!



Falafel with Chipotle Mayo and Spicy Homemade Hummus
slightly adapted from Weight Watchers' New Complete Cookbook

Ingredients
1 (10-oz) package falafel mix
1 1/4 cups water
4 tsp olive oil
4 (6-inch) whole wheat pita breads, halved
6 tbsp chipotle mayo (see below)
1 cup spicy homemade hummus (see below)
8 small romaine lettuce heads

Instructions
1. Stir together falafel mix and water in a medium bowl until combined well; let stand according to package instructions.
2. Drop falafel mixture by 2 tablespoonfuls onto large sheets of wax paper (I used my silpat), making a total of 20 mounds (I made bigger but way fewer).
3. Heat 1 tsp oil in a very large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Shape 5 mounds of falafel mixture into 2-inch patties and add to skillet as they are shaped.  Cook until golden and firm, about 2 min per side.  Transfer patties to plate covered in paper towel and keep warm.  Repeat with remaining oil and falafel mixture.
4. Spread 1 1/2 tsp chipotle mayo and 2 tbsp hummus in each pita.  Cut 4 falafel patties in half and add to each pita along with 1 lettuce leaf.



Chipotle Mayonnaise
from Weight Watchers' New Complete Cookbook

Ingredients
6 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
1 chipotle pepper from can of chipotles in adobo, minced
2 tsp adobo sauce

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with a spatula.  Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.


Spicy Homemade Hummus
adapted from Weight Watchers' Complete New Cookbook

Ingredients
1 (15 1/2-oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3-4 drops hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
1 chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo
1 tbsp adobo sauce
1/2 tsp paprika

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients except paprika in food processor and puree, adding a little bit more water if hummus is too thick.
2. Transfer hummus to serving dish; sprinkle with paprika.  Serve at once or refrigerate in a covered container up to 3 days.

Chicken Souvlaki Pita with Skinny Tzatziki

I had some leftover chicken breast tenders from my trip to H-Mart, so when this simple recipe popped up on the Tasty Kitchen blog I thought it would be a great way to use them up! (Don't worry, I kept them frozen since I bought them!)

I use chicken breast tenders pretty frequently. I'm not sure of the nutritional difference between full breasts and the breast tenders, but the tenders are usually a lot less expensive.  When I'm chopping up the chicken by the end of the recipe anyway, like I do here (especially because I pounded it out), it made a lot of sense to go this route.

The real secret ingredient to this recipe is Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning.  I know, another pre-mixed spice blend, but they are so easy to use! I found it at a specialty market, but hopefully you can find it in larger grocery stores as well.  Penzy's also has a greek spice blend, and it may be worth trying that instead (probably has less sodium!), although Cavender's does have a very unique flavor.

Tzatziki is one of the most delicious condiments - and it's so easy to make a skinny version.  I adapted this recipe from missamy's version on Tasty Kitchen as well as the version on Gina's Skinny.  Greek yogurt is now really easy to find in grocery stores and it gives the tzatziki the perfect tang!

Don't cut up the cucumbers in the tzatziki too small - it's nice when they give a little bite to the sandwich!

P.S. there is no cottage cheese in this recipe.  I used the old container to store the tzatziki!  It's all about recycling!

Overall, we really enjoyed this sandwich.  I loved that I could prep everything either in the morning, the night before, or even right when I get home from work, and then, when we get hungry, throw the chicken on the Foreman for 2 minutes and have a meal ready in under 5. When the Monkey Scientist got home from a late flight, I had dinner ready before he could walk to my apartment from the metro, even though I'd been running errands all evening. And he told me I make a mean tzatziki - didn't even notice that it was skinnified! The chicken has so much flavor from the greek seasoning, and the tzatziki balanced it perfectly.

Now that the weather is warming up (it's been in the 80s in DC!) and we're days away from the pool being open on weekends, I'll have to have this prepped at all times for a perfect Sunday lunch by the pool!

Chicken Souvlaki Pita with Skinny Tzatziki

Adapted from missamy on Tasty Kitchen and Gina's Skinny

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

for the chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (about 6 tenders)

4 teaspoons Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning

4 teaspoons olive oil

for the tzatziki

6-8 oz plain, non-fat greek yogurt

1/2 cucumber, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

3 whole wheat pitas

Instructions:

Pound out the chicken breast until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

Rub down with a little bit of olive oil, then season both sides generously with the Cavender's Greek Seasoning. Wrap in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator to let marinate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, mix greek yogurt, chopped cucumbers, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Grill the chicken until no longer pink. (This takes about 2 minutes on the George Foreman grill, but you could definitely use a real grill!)

Spoon a good amount of tzatziki in each pita.  Slice chicken into strips and divide evenly between pitas. Enjoy!