Sweet potato Falafel with couscous salad and tzatiki

Sweet potato falafel

This sweet potato falafel recipe is based on one from the Leon cookbook but I have speeded up the process by boiling the sweet potato instead of roasting it. The sweet potato falafel tastes great in a pitta with tzatziki and a couscous salad.

Serves: 4 

2tsp cumin

2tsp ground coriander

1tsp cayenne pepper

handful coriander, chopped

150g gram flour

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

Boil the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, mash and leave to cool. Stir in the spices, fresh coriander and gram flour. Place covered in the fridge for 30minutes until mixture is easier more sticky than wet.

Heat the oven to 180C.

Roll mixture into balls and place on an oiled tray. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serve with wholemeal pitta pockets, couscous salad and tzatiki. 

Couscous with feta and walnuts

Serves: 4

 

The Ume plum seasoning used as a dressing adds a refreshing zesty flavour.

Handful walnuts

Handful coriander, chopped

Handful mint, chopped

Handful mung bean sprouts

Handful, feta, chopped

¼ zest of lemon

Olive oil

Sea salt and Black pepper

Pinch of saffron

200g Couscous

Ume plum seasoning

Put the couscous in a bowl and sprinkle over sea salt, black pepper, saffron, a glug of olive oil and just cover with boiling water. Stir once and cover with clingfilm for 10 minutes. Leave to cool.

Use a fork to fluff up the couscous and stir in the lemon zest, feta, mint, coriander, walnuts and mung beans. Dress with a glug of olive oil and a few dashes of ume plum seasoning.

Tzatziki

Serves: 4 

Tub of greek yoghurt

Handful mint, chopped

¼ cucumber, finely chopped

Sea salt

1 garlic clove

Olive oil

Add a good glug of olive oil to a mixing bowl. Crush the garlic with a large pinch of sea salt and finely chop, keep crushing and chopping until you have a salty garlic paste. Add the garlic paste to the olive oil and stir in a little of the yoghurt at a time, making sure the garlic and olive oil are evening distributed.  Add the mint and cucumber, stir and season to taste.

Morrocan style rice: Chicken or Sweet Potato

Morrocan Style Rice with Chicken

Morrocan Style Rice with Sweet Potato

I was lost and staring aimlessly at the ingredients in my cupboard this evening when my friend Claudia called with the genius idea of mixing them all together with a bit of spice. The vegetarian was happy with his sweet potato combo while I enjoyed a tasty bit of free-range chicken. 

Serves: 2 with leftovers for lunch

200g rice
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic

2 peppers 1 green, 1 yellow, chopped into chunks

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp chilli flakes

Handful parsley and mint, roughly chopped

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Boiling water

V: sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

M: 1 free range chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

Fry onion and garlic in olive oil until soft then stir in the spices until distributed evenly. Add the peppers and fry for a few minutes. Divide the mixture between two pans.

V: Par-boil the sweet potato in salted water, about 7 minutes, drain and stir into one of the pans along with the vegetable stock cube and 100g of rice.

M: Add the chicken to the other pan and fry for a few minutes until the colour changes then stir in the rice and stock cube.

Pour boiling water into each pan to just cover the rice. The ratio 2:1 can help which means adding about 200g of boiling water into each pan. Stir, season and cover each pan using tin foil and a lid to ensure minimum steam gets out. Cook on a low heat for 12 minutes and leave to stand for 5 minutes before stirring in the chopped herbs and serving.