Farro Tahini Salad

Dear Turkey,

You'll feel like you're at

A restaurant, but saving

A bunch of money

Amazingly Retro Lentil Burgers

Dear Turkey,

This is the kind of

Thing my parents used to eat

In the seventies

Umami Hummus Sensation

Dear Turkey,

My hummus seemed to 

Lack something but I never

Would have guessed bouillon

Halvah

Dear Turkey,

You just made falafels. You have half a jar of tahini sitting around. And a whole jar of honey that someone gave you from her bees. Time to make halvah.

I have always loved halvah. I used to buy a big block of it at Zabar's and eat the whole thing. I figured it was a magical delicacy that can only be made in a factory (like daifuku mochi, but that's another story). Thanks to the internet, I have been educated. Halvah is really easy to make. You get to use the thermometer, so that's fun, and it sets up in the fridge.

Baked Falafel

Dear Turkey,

Remember when I made falafel sandwiches? Yeah, that was, like, two days ago. And they were awesome. But I ended up with a ton of falafel batter in my fridge and I got sick of frying it every night.

So I wondered why you couldn't just bake it like a big, Middle Eastern veggie kugel? Turns out, you can. Now, this isn't the oil-soaked, just-fried falafel goodness like in my last post. But it's really good, keeps in the fridge beautifully after it's cooked, and is sliceable and versatile -- perfect for sandwiches, salads, crumbled on top of soup like a tender crouton, and vegan.

Falafel Sandwiches

Dear Turkey,

Remember when I made falafel? Yeah, that was good. I didn't think I could improve upon that, and I'm not really much of a sandwich girl, but this falafel pita sandwich is one of the best sandwiches I've ever made.

I love how the pita gives everything a convenient container without adding way too much bread. It's also just a little sweet, which offsets everything inside nicely. And, if you are feeling lazy, you can always buy falafel mix (it really works!) or frozen falafel.