Spring radish salad

Hello there ... I am back :) It has been a really long time since I have posted anything, but I had a few good reasons...I spent one amazing month in India, studying yoga and I recently got married too! :) So many new things are happening, for which I am deeply greatful for. 
I am back in my "real" life now and starting with recipes again :) 
For a starter, let's have an easy spring salad, shall we? :)

Here is what you will need:
For the salad:
- 1 head of Romain lettuce
- a bunch of mixed salad leaves
- 5 -7 radishes, cubed
- 10 - 12 cocktail tomatoes
- 1 can of kidney beans

For the dressing:
- 1 tbsp of tahini
- 1 tbsp tamari
- juice of 1/2 lime, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp sparkling mineral water 

1. Wash everything for the salad. Cut the radishes into small cubes and cut the tomatoes to halves.
2. Open the can of beans (this time I didn't have soaked beans, so I just used a canned one), make sure that you rinse the beans very before using.
3. Toss everything together in a big salad bowl.
4. In a small mixing bowl mix all ingredients for the dressing together. Pour it over the salad mixture and massage the dressing into the salad with your hands. It's great to feel your food, while you are preparing it:)
5. Smile and enjoy:)

Sweet potato falafel with raw cashew-tahini dressing

The idea for the falafel using sweet potatoes came from this recipe:

http://thelittlegreenhouse.net/sweet-potato-falafels-with-tahini-sauce/

I found it very interesting to use sweet potatoes in falafel, so i have experimented a bit, modified the recipe and also made up a cashew-tahini dressing. In my opinion the dressing fits perfectly to the sweet-spicy taste of the falafels :) Try it and let me know how you liked this combination :)
This dish is perfect for lunch or dinner, served on a bed of salad. You can as well serve it with rice or flatbread. It is completely gluten- free and tastes really delicious. I love sweet potatoes in every form, but together with the Indian spices it's a perfect harmony of tastes:)

What will you need:
For the falafel: 
- 2 medium sweet potatoes

- 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas

- 1/4 tsp coriander

- 1 tsp turmeric

- 2 tsp cumin

- 1/4 tsp hot Hungarian paprika (or cayenne pepper)

- 1/2 tsp white pepper

- 1 1/2 tsp salt (according to type of salt)

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 handful of fresh parsley

- 2 tbsp chickpea flour

- juice of 1/2 lemon

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

For the Raw cashew tahini dressing:

- 1 cup of cashew nuts, soaked overnight

- 2 tsp Tahini

- juice of 1/2 lemon 

- 1/2 tsp paprika (or cayenne pepper)

- 1/2 cup and a bit more water 

- black pepper

- salt, according to taste

Preparation:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Next day rinse them and cook in pressure cooker or in a cooking pan, according to instructions on the package.
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
3. Start with steaming the sweet potatoes with the skin on for 20-25 minutes. Make a fork test to see, if they are soft in the middle too. When ready, peel the skin off and place the potatoes to the food processor. 
4. Place all other ingredients to the food processor as well and process until a the mixture is a bit chunky. 
5. Make smaller balls from the chickpea-sweet potato mix (around 4-5 cm diameter) and place them on a baking paper. Slightly press the top. When your hands become too sticky, just use a bit of water to form the balls.  
6. Bake for 35 minutes in 180 degrees. When done, leave the falafels for 10-15 minutes on the baking paper, so the they don't stick to it:) 
7. To make the raw cashew-tahini dressing, first rinse the soaked cashew nuts and wash them. Place all ingredients to a high speed blender (or food processor) and blend until very smooth and creamy. Adjust salt and pepper. 
8. Serve with flatbread, rice or simply on a bed of salad:)

Enjoyy:))

Spicy hummus

Hummus is a popular food dip in the Middle East and North Africa. The name "hummus" is Arabic and it means "chickpeas". Traditionally hummus is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.

We really like hummus for its creamy taste, nutrition and various ways of serving. It can be used as a dip for veggies, appetizer, scooped on flat-bread or  served with falafel and salads.

There are as well various health benefits of adding hummus to your diet. These are the few of them (source: http://www.whfoods.com): 

Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): 

• high in protein: chickpeas contain 19grams of protein out of 100 grams, which makes them a perfect plant based source of protein
• high in iron: which is especially good for pregnant or lactating women
• high in dietary fiber (12.5grams in one cup) and have a low glycemic index (GI). The low GI value of 28 – 32 means that the carbohydrate is broken down and digested slowly, which keeps us feeling full longer. This makes chickpeas a perfect food for weight loss and help stabilize blood sugar levels 
• high in folate and magnesium, which may lower the risk of heart attack
• high in antioxidants, such as vitamin C, B6, vitamin E, beta-carotene, manganeze and phytonutrients. The antioxidants help reduce the risk of heart disease, especially coronary heart disease. 

 
Tahini (sesame seed paste):

• is an excellent source of copper, which reduces the pain and swelling of rheumatoid arthritis
• a very good source of manganese
• high in protein: 18grams of protein in 100grams
• and a good source of magnesium, which supports vascular and respiratory health
• one of the best sources of calcium (with hulls remaining), which help prevent colon cancer, osteoporosis, PMS and migraine
• phosphorus,vitamin B6, iron, zinc (for bone health) and selenium
• rich in phytosterols, which help to reduce the blood levels of cholesterol

These are some of the health benefits of eating hummus next to it's delicious taste.  A must try, I would say ;)
We took the original recipe and added some spices. The result was more than we expected: a creamy, nutty, delicious spicy dip...

What will you need:
- 500 grams of cooked chickpeas

- 5 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)

- 1 1/2 lemon juice

- 6 big cloves of garlic

- 1/2 tsp white pepper

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp cumin powder

- 1 1/2 tsp chili sauce

- 1 tsp Provencal herbs

- 1 tbsp salt

Place all ingredients in the food processor and process till a creamy paste is formed. Adjust salt and spices according to taste. 

Enjoy :)