Falafel night + V-Day dinner

I have two delightful meals to recap for you. Back on February 5th, local Middle Eastern foods company Yummy’s Choice threw a free falafel night! I’ve mentioned Yummy’s Choice once before, a long time ago, when I met Chef Kamal giving samples at Whole Foods. Since then, their product line has grown expansively and their distribution has widened from Kansas City to Denver, St. Louis, Santa Fe, and Albequerque. Falafel night was a treat to those of us that follow Yummy’s on Facebook. It was snowy, slushy, and ominous outside that night, but I dragged Matt along with me to the Yummy’s headquarters on 39th.

The place was packed beyond belief, which made their setup and organization all the more impressive. As soon as we walked in, we were presented with a tray of four meal options (clockwise from top): a falafel wrap, falafel salad, falafel burger, or falafel sandwich. Matt and I both chose the burger.



We were given little tickets and told to hand them to the cooks behind the counter across the room. Chef Kamal himself was back there prepping meals and talking animatedly with patrons. After handing off our orders, we were directed to a huge appetizer bar. This sprawling buffet contained hummus platters the size of hubcaps, pita bread, marinated olives, tabbouleh, chickpea salad, and grilled vegetables. Can you say heaven?



We’d barely gathered some appetizers and served ourselves cups of saffron-infused passionfruit iced tea (yowza) when our orders were ready.



There were not nearly enough tables to handle everyone, so Matt and I nabbed a spot by a windowsill and ate standing up. But there was so much food—after some hummus and pita, olives, tabbouleh, and chickpea salad, I could only manage to eat a couple bites of my falafel burger. Luckily, to-go boxes were provided. Just look at all I took home! I got another two meals out of this box.

I can’t believe that whole thing was free! What an awesome event for Yummy’s Choice to put on.



Switching gears, here’s a look back at Valentine’s Day. I already showed you the Italian feast I made for Matt the Thursday before, but lest you think he did not reciprocate, check out where we went on Saturday night—Aixois, a classy little French bistro in Brookside. What a surprise! I’d never eaten authentic French food in Kansas City, and somehow hadn’t even heard of this place. Matt was hoping it would evoke memories for me of my time in France, and it did.

We noshed on sliced baguette and shared a bottle of red wine from Bordeaux, and though it wasn’t as good as what I drank when I was there, I simply love that region’s wines.



SEAFOOD ALERT, again! This is very unusual for me. But a handsome man was wining and dining me at a fancy French restaurant, so rather than pester them to make me a mediocre vegetable ratatouille, I sprang for the grilled sea scallops in tomato-basil sauce, with pommes frites alongside. The portion size was very French, and I must say, the scallops were melt-in-my-mouth delicious.



The dessert menu at Aixois made me sigh with happy nostalgia. It looked just like the one at Au Bistrot de la Montagne in Paris! Thanks to the mocha devastation cake we’d been plowing through all week, Matt was uncharacteristically uninterested in the chocolate desserts, so we chose the crêpe aux fruits rouges, a perfect little crêpe enfolding fresh strawberries and gently whipped cream, drizzled with a sweet-tart berry coulis.



It was a dreamy ending to a delectable and romantic meal. It had been years since I’d had a proper Valentine’s Day, and thanks to my sweet and thoughtful boyfriend, this one went above and beyond my expectations.

If you like this, you might also like...
Vegan Italian Valentine feast
December-January leftovers
Random 2009 leftover madness

5-minute chickpea couscous

This is one of my very favorite weeknight meals – it’s simple, it contains some of my favorite flavors/ingredients, and it’s fast. Really, blink and you might miss it.

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 1/4 cup water
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tahini
3-4T lemon juice
2T olive oil
2T hot water
1/2 tsp salt

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Throw in a dash each of salt and olive oil, then add the couscous.



Immediately take the pan off the heat and put a tight lid on it. Start a timer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl (or in my case, the tahini can, since I was using the last of it anyway), combine all remaining ingredients except chickpeas. Whisk (or shake in a closed container, like me) until smooth.

Even though it’s a little off-topic, check out my new mini-strainer! It’s the perfect size for one can of beans. Adorable.



By now, your timer has probably gone off, or is about to. When it does, take the lid off the pan and fluff up the couscous with a fork.



Fluff that couscous right into a large bowl, add the chickpeas, pour in the dressing, and toss to combine. And that’s it – I told you it was easy! For five minutes’ work, you have a savory, garlicky, sesame-y, lemony pasta studded with creamy chickpeas.

Psst...if you have a little extra time, this is also wonderful made with quinoa in place of the couscous.



Yield: 4 servings. Per serving: 395 calories, 12.7g fat (1.6g sat), 59g carbs, 10.8g fiber, 15.3g protein.