I find Mediterranean food itself to be mainly plant-based. My trip to Israel included many plates of hummus, pita, and falafel full of veggies. In celebration of Israel’s Independence Day, I decided to make homemade pita, homemade hummus, tabouli, and roasted cauliflower.
HOMEMADE PITA
For the pita, I used the NYT cooking recipe. Takeaways: This is easy and delicious. I used a simple baking sheet, and my pita decided not to “pop.” I found this article on King Arthur’s website about the “pop” and how to achieve it. Basically, you need an “old cast-iron Garland gas oven” or some other scorching oven. Regardless, these pitas are delicious. Also, I used bread flour instead of whole wheat and made sure to sift it before adding it in.
HOMEMADE HUMMUS
HUMMUS! The easiest item in the world to make. I’ve nearly perfected my own recipe but used this one as a base until I get the hang of it myself. I topped my hummus with olive oil, parsley, paprika from The Spice House, and toasted pine nuts.
TOASTING PINE NUTS: Heat small pan. Add a small amount of oil & heat the oil. Add the pine nuts. Make sure to not BURN the pine nuts. It takes around 2 minutes.
TABOULI
INGREDIENTS FOR COUSCOUS: 1 cup of couscous, 1 cup of boiling water, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt
INGREDIENTS FOR MIX-INS: 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp lemon juice, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, scallions, peppers, capers, minced garlic, cracked pepper, sea salt
TO MAKE COUSCOUS: Add couscous, olive oil, salt, and mix. Add boiling water, cover with a plate, and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Fluff the couscous and let cool.
MIX-INS: Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and salt to the couscous. Mix. Dice the veggies and add to the couscous. YUM!
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
My mom and I used this recipe.
