100% Whole Grain Bread (recipe, photos, info)

As many of you know, I like bread. A lot. I enjoy making it, but more importantly I enjoy eating it…and I do not believe it makes you fat. I could easily be a poster boy for the high-carb diet…I eat bread, pasta, or rice at nearly every meal and am well within my proper body weight. The key, I believe, is whole grains…they are really good for you. I also believe that everyone should make their own bread (at least sometimes)…not only will it nourish your body, but also your emotions; there is something very primal about having your hands in raw dough and transforming ingredients so basic into something so complex. It is, in short, an alchemistic art-form. And breads you purchase–even though they may say “whole grain”–have a lot of other things in it besides the grain. Take a look at this label for “whole grain bread”…a paragraph long list of mostly unpronounceable ingredients is unnecessary.  In truth, to make a really good and wholesome loaf of whole wheat bread you need only these four ingredients. In the recipe pictured here–bedsides the seven-grain mix–I count eight other ingredients…all recognizable and pronounceable. If you don’t have a seven grain mix you can use whatever grain you have (brown rice works great). This is made in the same way that I make Ezekiel Bread, only it’s easier because you can boil the grain all at once (click here or here for Ezekiel Bread recipes). Anyhow, this recipe is way easier to make than it may seem at first look. I hope you try it…both your body and soul will be glad you did. If you’d like to read more about how to bake with whole wheat–it’s similarities and differences with white flour–follow this link.

Urban Simplicity.

Whole Grain Bread
Makes 2 loaves
1 cup (6.6oz/187g) 7-grain mix
3 quarts (96floz/2.83L) water
____________
fully cooked grains
2/3 cup (5.3 oz/157ml) cookingliquid
2 cups (11oz/312g) whole wheatflour
2 teaspoons (.2oz/5.6g) instantyeast
____________
4 cups (21oz/595.3g) whole wheatflour
2 tablespoons (.5oz/14g) vitalwheat gluten
1 1/3 cups (10.5fl oz/315ml) cookingliquid
____________
1/4 cup (2fl oz/59.1ml) honey
1/4 cup (2fl oz/59.1ml) olive oil
3 teaspoons (.3oz/8.5g) instantyeast
3 teaspoons (.5oz/14.1g) koshersalt
Combine the grain and water in a mediumpot and bring to a boil; lower the heat to simmer and cook the ricefor about 45 minutes or until very soft. As the grain cooks add morewater to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which isfull of nutrients, will become part of the recipe. After the grainsare cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature,refrigerating if necessary. Then drain it, squeezing it with yourhands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
Place two bowlsside-by-side; one will hold the pre-ferment, the other autolyse. Inone bowl combine the cooked and drained 7-grains with 2/3 cup (5.3oz/157ml) of the cooking liquid, 2 cups (11oz/312g) whole wheatflour, and 2 teaspoons (.2oz/5.6g) instant yeast. Stir just untilcombined then cover it with plastic wrap. In the other bowl combine 4cups (21oz/595.3g) whole wheat flour, 2 tablespoons (.5oz/14g) vitalwheat gluten, and 1 1/3 cups (10.5fl oz/315ml) cooking liquid; stirjust until combined then cover it with plastic wrap (take care not toget yeast into this bowl). Allow the bowls to rest at roomtemperature for about an hour, during which time the preferment willbegin it’s job multiplying yeast and fermenting flour, and theautolyse will soak liquid, swelling the gluten.
After an hour or so, combinethe ingredients from both bowls into the bowl of an upright mixerfitted with a dough hook. Add the honey, olive oil, salt, and 3teaspoons (.3oz/8.5g) of yeast (add the yeast and salt on oppositesides of the bowl). Knead the dough on medium speed for about 8minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover itloosely, and allow to ferment for 1-2 hours, or until doubled inbulk. Deflate the dough and allow it to ferment an additional 30minutes. Turn the dough out onto afloured work surface and cut it into 2 pieces. Shape into loavesand place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves withplastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until doublein size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentationremains. Preheat an oven to 450f (232.2C). Bake the breads forabout 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (eitherwith ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every tenminutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and soundhollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allowthem to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#379)

$152.34 of groceries and sundries in three plastic crates from four different stores.

Click here if you’d like to see a few other things that can be carried on a bike.


Urban Simplicity.

Whole Wheat French Toast with Pineapple Syrup and Caramelized Apple

This is a simple-to-make hearty and flavorful breakfast, and it also happens to be my son’s favorite (somewhat of a Saturday morning tradition). French toast can be made in any number of ways, but the key to a really good one is great bread and flavorful syrup…of course the syrup can be purchased but it is just as easy to make it at home in about 5 minutes. And to make homemade syrup is as simple as boiling fruit juice (I used pineapple juice toady, but any juice will do) until enough moisture evaporates and it becomes syrupy and the flavors are concentrated…this, after all, is how the maple syrup companies do it, but only on a large scale. Sometimes (often) I’ll “boost” the syrup’s sweetness with a tablespoon of sugar or honey; today I added sugar. While most of us recognize this recipe as French Toast (likely because of the custard the bread is soaked in), if you are a true Francophile you may know this as pain purdu, or “lost bread” because it is a great way to utilize stale–or lost–bread…but trust me, made with really good bread this is anything but lost. To see other versions of this with many more pictures f it being made, click here.

Urban Simplicity.

I Like to Cook at Home

“Cooking is a great destresser because it serves as a creative outlet,” says Debbie Mandel, author of “Addicted to Stress.” “And while stress can numb your senses, cooking activates them. It’s a sensory experience with aroma, taste, touch, visual delight and even sizzling sound.”

I could easily start and finish this post with it’s title: I Like to Cook at Home. Though I cook all day at work I still like to cook at home; it’s my favorite place. Often the busier the day at work the more I want to cook myself dinner at  home. I don’t eat like I cook on the job–most chefs don’t–otherwise I would be either as big as a house or in the grave. At work I cook tons of red meat and often use cream and lots of butter. At home my meals are based on pasta, olive oil, bread, pizza, and vegetables. On-the-job cooking is often stressful; at home it is relaxing. Cooking at home can be a form of therapy. Most often it is just my son and I, or even just myself. The above picture is tonight’s meal in progress. Chicken ragu in one pot, macaroni boiling in another; broccoli aglio e olio sauteing in the foreground, and a seven grain mixture boiling in the rear (which I’ll make into seven grain bread in the morning). At work I never allow a radio or stereo playing (there’s enough white noise in a stressful kitchen), but at home I always listen to music or NPR; tonight I was listening to Fred Eaglesmith. I can’t image not wanting to have the desire to cook for myself; I feel blessed. People ask me all the time if I don’t get tired of cooking. No is always the answer. But if I were to elaborate I would say that while I still enjoy and feel lucky enough to cook for a living–no matter how stressful–my most favorite place to cook is at home, and sometimes just for myself.

I don’t have a typed recipe for tonight’s meal to offer, but this one–which contains fish and is one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes–is really good and similar to the chicken version we had tonight. If you’d like to read an article I wrote for Artvoice a few years ago on these very same thoughts, click here.

Urban Simplicity.

Olive Oil for the Dogs

That’s Franklin on the left and Maxwell on the right, and they love olive oil. Well, OK…they would love any food I gave them. And yes, while some may find a pug unattractive, I think they are almost too cute…they are great house dogs and companions; and it’s like having two little aliens follow me around the house all evening. Anyhow, I’ll get to my point. Most know that olive oil, which happens to be my favorite cooking oil, is good for us humans on many levels, but did you also know that it is good for dogs as well, specifically their skin and coat? And this, I believe, is true for any breed dog, not only pugs. But I have  to back up a bit. Pugs, I’ve come to learn over the last few years, are prone to skin problems; Maxwell and Franklin are no exception. They get rashes and itchy skin so bad that sometimes they chew themselves raw (literally). I’ve taken them to the vet only to spend big bucks on medications and physician’s fees with little results. A few people have suggested putting fish oil on their food, which I did for a while. Recently, though, I came to learn that olive oil is just as good. I put a tablespoon or so on their food in the morning and evening. It took about a month to really show difference but what a difference it is. Their coats are soft and shiny again, and they have nearly stopped scratching…they even smell less “doggy.”  The only issue is that now every time I reach for the olive oil when I’m cooking dinner they start going nuts because they think it’s their dinner time…

Anyhow, I just thought I’d pass this along to other dog owners.

If you’d like a few recipes (for humans) using olive oil, click here.

Urban Simplicity.

Olive Oil for the Dogs

That’s Franklin on the left and Maxwell on the right, and they love olive oil. Well, OK…they would love any food I gave them. And yes, while some may find a pug unattractive, I think they are almost too cute…they are great house dogs and companions; and it’s like having two little aliens follow me around the house all evening. Anyhow, I’ll get to my point. Most know that olive oil, which happens to be my favorite cooking oil, is good for us humans on many levels, but did you also know that it is good for dogs as well, specifically their skin and coat? And this, I believe, is true for any breed dog, not only pugs. But I have  to back up a bit. Pugs, I’ve come to learn over the last few years, are prone to skin problems; Maxwell and Franklin are no exception. They get rashes and itchy skin so bad that sometimes they chew themselves raw (literally). I’ve taken them to the vet only to spend big bucks on medications and physician’s fees with little results. A few people have suggested putting fish oil on their food, which I did for a while. Recently, though, I came to learn that olive oil is just as good. I put a tablespoon or so on their food in the morning and evening. It took about a month to really show difference but what a difference it is. Their coats are soft and shiny again, and they have nearly stopped scratching…they even smell less “doggy.”  The only issue is that now every time I reach for the olive oil when I’m cooking dinner they start going nuts because they think it’s their dinner time…

Anyhow, I just thought I’d pass this along to other dog owners.

If you’d like a few recipes (for humans) using olive oil, click here.

Urban Simplicity.

You’ve Got Mail…

I just thought I’d pass a long a bit of info on a new update to this page (shameless self-promotion is no easy task for me). I’ve recently added a mail widget to this blog…if you enter your email address you will receive an any new posts from via email. And just to let you know, I personally do not receive your email address; you will stay anonymous (at least to me). For those of you reading this at my main blog–UrbanSimplicity.com–the mail widget is on the left hand side of the page, below the categories and just below the members area. If you are reading this from my mirror blog–UrbanSimplicty.wordpress.com–the widget is on the right hand side at the bottom of the info bar. Lastly, whether you are a repeat reader or just stumbled up this site via clicks or searches, thanks as always for reading, commenting, and following. Peace. Joe.

Urban Simplicity.

Five Quotes from Jiddu Krishnamurti



“A man who is not afraid is not aggressive, a man who has no sense of fear of any kind is really a free, a peaceful man.”

“In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.”

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.”

“We all want to be famous people, and the moment we want to be something we are no longer free.”

“You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems and suffer and understand, for all that is life.”

To learn more about Jiddu Krishnamurti, click here, here, or here.

Urban Simplicity

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#378)

A large poinsettia plant and a 5lb/2.2kg bag of whole wheat flour.

Other things that can be carried on a bike.

Urban Simplicity.

A Quick and Simple, Yet Delicious and Nutritious, Way to Prepare Eggs

If you’ve been to this blog before you know that I am somewhat of a creature of habit when it comes to preparing my own food. I like food that is not only relatively quick to make, but also full flavored and nutritious (and interesting to make, too); this is a perfect example. It’s a cross between a Spanish tortilla de huevos and an Italian fritatta (but closer to the Spanish version, I think). But as fancy as it sounds in romance languages this really is nothing more than a baked omelet. And what makes this so healthy is that it is chock full of vegetables…just enough egg to hold it all together. The real beauty of this dish is that there are no rules when it comes to its ingredients…anything goes (literally); it’s a great way to use whatever you have on hand (my favorite way to cook). This is a variation on many versions of this recipe I’ve posted previously, but tonight I included–besides the eggs, of course–sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, cheddar, and a sort of sofrito made with onion, garlic, and hot pepper. Here’s how to do it. Preheat your oven to 400F/204C; do this first so that it heats while you prepare your ingredients. Cook the vegetables; I steamed the carrots and broccoli and sauteed the onion mixture (the sweet potato was cooked from a previous meal). Mix everything together with the eggs, including the cheese. Heat a skillet on the stove top with a little olive oil. When it’s hot add the vegetable-egg mixture, smooth it out with a spoon or spatula, and place the pan in the oven. By the time you pour a beverage and slice some bread it will be ready; if the oven was preheated it will cook in 5 or ten minutes. For more recipes like this, click here.

Urban Simplicity.

Premonition Realized

Well this is interesting, if not a bit odd….but without doubt a premonition or at least a foreshadow of what was to come. But I’m getting ahead of myself as I often do…my mind usually thinks faster than my fingers can peck the words out. I’ll start over. Last week I was cleaning out a room in my house; a small room which I fondly refer to as the “junk room” because it’s more of  a storage space than anything. I was cleaning it out because I’m planning on rehabbing it into a new bedroom for my son. Anyhow, cleaning it also meant giving away and/or discarding some old stuff; thus I was going through some old boxes. In one of the boxes was an old Boy Scout’s uniform…yes, believe-it-or-not, for a very short period as a lad I was a scout; only made it to Tenderfoot. This would have been in 1971 or 72. The reason I remember is that I lied about my age to get in (yes a bit contradictory to the ethics they are trying to implant in the young kids); I was 10 years old and the age requirement was, as it still is, 11 years of age; this was 40 years ago.  It’s interesting that I remember this because I don’t remember much else about my short tenure as a scout. But I do remember practicing for my one and only merit badge, the one pictured above….a cooking merit badge. My mom helped me make scrambled eggs. It’s interesting, though, that I don’t recall any early inclination that I wanted to cook, but that was the one and only merit badge I strove for. I hadn’t even remembered it until this past week. I would have never imagined what was to follow. Five or six years later I would get my first job, peeling potatoes and chopping onions in this Greek diner. A few years later I’d work for a European chef that would influence me to take cooking not just a source of income but as a career choice. Culinary school and a series of chef jobs followed….needless to say I’ve been facing a stove for the past 34 or 35 years. And this is what I thought about as I stared at the merit badge when I found it in a box. Coincidence? Maybe. Premonition or foreshadow? Possibly, but who knows? But you ave to admit it is pretty interesting. One thing is for sure, and whether I like it or not, ich bin ein koch.  And now, as I just breached the 50 year mark, I am trying to figure out what to do with the remainder of my years on this spiraling orb we call Earth.

If you’d like to read more about my views on cooking for a living (and why I used a German phrase in the previous paragraph), which was recently in Buffalo Spree Magazine, click here.

Urban Simplicity.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#377)

$42.71 of groceries and sundries (cardboard box/front rack); a 10lb bag of dog food and gym bag full of wet clothes (rear carrier).

Urban Simplicity.

A Bike as a Photographic Platform

I have posted many times in the past on the usefulness of bikes, especially longtails…but this is a new and interesting one for me. As many of you know, as I ride around on my bike(s) I enjoy snapping pictures with my little point-and-shoot camera(s). And I mostly–especially when it gets dark early–enjoy taking photos at night. The problem is that they often come out blurry because of movement…many of the night pictures you see on this blog were taken by me standing stoically still…lest I shake the camera, which I often do. I have a tripod which is from “my old 35mm days,” but it’s large and would be a hassle to carry with me always. I’ve thought about getting a handlebar camera mount (and I still may), but yesterday I invested in a mini tripod which can fit in the same canvas bag that has been pictured in many posts on this blog. What’s awesome is that it is small enough to carry with me and it is just the right size to stand on the rear deck of the Yuba Mundo…there it is pictured above as it was snapping a picture of the Wilcox Mansion (the Teddy Roosevelt inauguration site). I took a few other photos tonight to see how it worked, which was superb. Below is a triptych of a Christmas Tree at the corner of Allen and Park Streets…as I was testing it I was also playing with different light settings on the camera. Anyhow, I know that there a re a few bicycling photographers that follow this blog and thought I’d pass this along. I’d enjoy hearing how others take photos on their bikes, or what systems you have devised .

Urban Simplicity

Life Has Changed

Sometimes–I believe–I can get a bit self-righteous with all my talk of riding and walking more than I use my small, late-model truck…yet I own a small fleet of bicycles. Then I see videos like this where a bicycle–a single bicycle–can change an entire family’s life. Very moving, I feel. I came upon the video at World Bicycle Relief.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#376)…and how I ate it for dinner

A cardboard box containing two freshly baked loaves of whole wheat bread and a piece of raw dough.

Interesting, when I think about it…I made the starter for the dough last night, mixed the dough this morning, and took it to work with me to bake. But as I was panning the dough I had a bit too much so I thought I’d make pizza for dinner with it. Like pioneers before me carrying their dough starter with them, I carried raw and baked bread back and forth to work on my bike…

Anyhow, pizza to me is nothing more than flat-bread with stuff baked on it. It’s delicious and can be nutritious, but people sometimes make too big of a deal out of it (or it’s pretend complexities)…for simple and really delicious and nutritious pizza recipes (with pictures and instructions), click here. So as usual I rummaged around my fridge and freezer for pizza toppings. I came up with a partial bag of frozen spinach, a head of broccoli which had to be trimmed of a bit of mold, tomato sauce, some cooked turkey (frozen dark meat left over from Thanksgiving), a partial bag of shredded cheese (“Mexican blend”), and an onion, which I sliced and put on the pizza last. I baked the pizza while I did a few chores around the house and it was ready when I was. It was delicious and barely interrupted my evening plan (and having the oven on warmed the rear of the house). Making your own pizza is as easy as making your own bread (easier actually)…I think everyone should do it. The recipe below can be used for bread or pizza dough; and it can be frozen raw or cooked. To see more recipes with a full discussion on how to bake using whole wheat read this Artvoice article. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go grab another slice of pizza…

100% Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 2 loaves

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
————————
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups water
————————
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons instant yeast
3 teaspoons kosher salt

In one bowl make a preferment by combining 2 cups of whole wheat flour with 2/3 cups water and 2 teaspoons of instant yeast. Begin the autolyse in another bowl by combining 4 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 1⁄2 cups water. Stir each bowl just enough to combine the ingredients, taking care not to get yeast into the bowl with the autolyse. If the contents in either of the bowls need more water, add a small amount. Cover both bowls and allow to rest and ferment for 30-90 minutes, during which time the preferment will begin it’s job multiplying yeast and fermenting flour, and the autolyse will soak the grain, swelling the gluten. 
 
After an hour or so, combine the ingredients from both bowls into the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the honey, olive oil, salt, and 3 teaspoons of yeast (add the yeast and salt on opposite sides of the bowl). Knead the dough on medium speed for about 8 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover it loosely, and allow to ferment for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Deflate the dough and allow it to ferment an additional 30 minutes. 
 
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains. 
 
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

John Lennon (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980)

I distinctively remember where I was when I heard the news of John Lennon’s death; I was driving my truck at the time, and I was 19 years old. I had to pull over. And I’m not sure if I’m fabricating it in my memory from 31 years ago, but I recall weeping. His music moves me still.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#374)…and a quick conversation

Things on the bike: (front rack) 2 gallons/7.5 liters of interior house paint, a gym bag full of wet clothes, a canvas bag containing a couple books, 1.5L of red wine, and two tacos–1 fish; 1 tofu–from Cantina Loco. (rear carrier) a 5 1/2 foot/1.67 meter Christmas Tree.

A synopsis of a brief conversation while purchasing the tree: The pleasant young woman at the cash register says to me as I pay her, “Would you like someone to carry that to your car?” I’m thinking to myself, I’m taller than this tree…I may be 50 now but I’m not that old; I’m assuming she was just offering good customer service. Anyway, I reply, “No thanks, and I’m carrying it on my bike not in a car.” Blank stare, then “How are you going to do that?” “It’s a big bike,” I tell her, “built for carrying stuff,” then add, “I’ve already got two gallons of paint on it out in the parking lot.” More blank stare…looking at me to see if I was joking or not, then “I may be able to have the tree delivered if you’d like.” “No,” I replied, “thanks anyhow.” Then I added, “And I don’t mean to be rude, but you are getting the wrong impression. I own a car–a small pickup truck, actually–It’s just that I choose to ride a bike whenever it’s feasible and as often as possible.” Another blank stare, and this time a much longer pause, then “Oh man, you’re a crazy guy aren’t you?” At this point I’m not really sure what she meant–if she was being sarcastic or meant it literally–either way it didn’t bother me. She wished me a Merry Christmas as I slung the tree over my shoulder. After strapping it on the bike and as I coasted silently through the parking lot with the wind to my back I could feel that it had just started to snow a bit–little tiny flakes that you could only see under the street lamps–and I could feel them on my face. It felt good to be on a bike in the brisk weather after facing a stove all day, and it felt good to be on a bike while I passed cars in gridlock during rush our. It felt good to use my own energy for propulsion. I felt free, and I thought to myself that I likely am a little bit crazy…crazy for life.

If you haven’t seen the giant wreath I carried home on this bike and would like to, click here.

Also,  urbansimplicity.com is the new address for this blog; please update your bookmarks 🙂

Another View from my Handlebars

Beautiful isn’t? Inspiring to say the least. I pass this intersection a few times a week and am always inspired by this beautiful church. Tonight, as it drizzled and sleeted lightly as I rode by, I thought I’d stop and snap a couple pictures. It’s First Presbyterian Church at Symphony Circle. And as I stood there admiring it–while people in cars zipped past me seemingly trying to beat each other through the circle–I couldn’t help but marvel at its history. This is one of the oldest churches in our city. Now, for my EU friends reading this you might not think that 200 years is that old…but in this young country it is. The congregation first began worshiping together in 1812…during the War of 1812; the same year that the young outpost of Buffalo was burned to the ground. This is actually their 3rd building; the first was wood, then there was a previous stone one, and now the one you see before you which was completed in 1889. And, by-the-way, if you are wondering what the white spots are in the picture…it is rain/sleet; I turned the flash on to capture them in front of the camera. I mention this for two reasons/examples…this image is another example of something you’d never have a chance to admire–really admire–if you were zipping through the circle in a car, and also, it’s a good example that good pictures can be captured with an inexpensive camera. I’m starting to trail off now so I’ll stop…I just thought I’d share a picture tonight of something I saw over my handlebars this evening (click it for a larger view).

urbansimplicity.com is the new address for this blog; please update your bookmarks 🙂

Falafel (Yum!)

Falafel are an awesome and healthy food that is not only nutritious and delicious but easy to make. In it’s most basic description, it is nothing more than ground chickpeas (and/or other legumes) mixed with seasonings and deep-fried. It is traditionally eaten as a pita sandwich laden with tarator sauce (tahini sauce), but it is great as a snack by itself  or on a salad. Anyhow, there are plenty of recipes out there (all variations on a theme), but this is how I make mine.

For the falafel: In a food processor, combine a couple cups of either cooked or canned and rinsed chick peas along with a bunch of chopped cilantro (sometimes called fresh coriander), a bunch of chopped flat-leaf parsley (sometimes called Italian or Mediterranean parsley), a small chopped onion, a couple cloves of garlic, a splash of lemon juice and water, and a small amount of cumin, cayenne pepper, and kosher or sea salt. Run the food processor until the ingredients are nearly a smooth paste. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and add a small amount (maybe 1/2 cup each) of all-purpose flour and chick pea flour (if you don’t have chick pea flour you can use just the wheat flour), and a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. Knead the flour(s) into the mixture, scoop and shape it into balls (sprinkle sesame seeds on a baking sheet and scoop the falafel onto this). Press the falafel gently, shaping them into thick disks. Heat a couple inches of oil in a pan until about 350F/176C and fry the falafel for a few minutes, or until golden and cooked throughout. Drain on absorbent paper.

For the tahini sauce: Combine in a bowl, 1/2 cup of tahini paste along with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a couple tablespoons of minced parsley. Using a wire whisk, mix the sauce vigorously to aerate it and combine thoroughly…it should have a creamy appearance; if it is too thick add a bit more water or lemon.

Make sure you make extra falafel because you’ll be snacking on them as you make the sandwiches.

Also, urbansimplicity.com is the new address for this blog; please update your bookmarks.