Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Bowl Recipe: Fresh Ingredients - Magic Sauces

At Spade & Spoon, our meal kits stand out because we do not include pre-cut vegetables like some other prepared meal kits. We take pride in our commitment to quality and the integrity of each ingredient, echoing the dedication of our farmers. Our goal is for customers to savor the freshness of our ingredients to the fullest extent.

While we don't provide pre-cut vegetables, we do offer our exceptional spice blends and house-made sauces in nearly every meal kit. These flavorful additions can be likened to magic, harmoniously uniting the ingredients to create mouthwatering dinners. Our sauces and spice blends not only save you time by eliminating the need to assemble them yourself, but they also reduce the number of pantry items required and minimize packaging. You won't find an abundance of individual sauce packets that you have to mix yourself; instead, our meal kits exemplify how simple dishes can be elevated by our sauces and spice blends. We invite you to explore our offerings and experience the difference.

If you're fortunate, you may even have the opportunity to purchase this particular meal from our website this week. See if it's available HERE!

Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Bowl:
All of the flavors of the best food-cart falafel sandwich, but without the hassle of hitting the streets or frying some up for yourself! Nutty chickpeas are roasted with warm and flavorful falafel spices, then served over toasted couscous with chopped lettuce, sliced red onion, diced cucumber, bright cilantro and parsley, and a creamy, lemony vegan tahini sauce. 

Ingredients:

• *Onion Pickling Liquid
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups couscous
• 1 3/4 cups water or broth
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• *Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Spice Blend
• 1 head leaf lettuce, chopped
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup each cilantro + parsley leaves, roughly chopped and tossed
  to combine
• 1 large tomato, diced, optional
• *Tahini + Lemon Sauce
• hot sauce, optional

Instructions:

1. First, make the pickled onion. In a small saucepan, bring the onion pickling liquid
to a boil. Add the sliced red onion to the pot, remove from heat, and let stand
until ready to serve.

2. Add the couscous to a medium saucepan set over medium high heat and toast
until the couscous darkens a bit and begins to smell nutty, about 4 minutes,
stirring or shaking the pan occasionally. When the couscous is toasted, add the
water or broth and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat,
and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the liquid to absorb, then fluff with a fork,
re-cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic and sauté
until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chickpeas and falafel spice blend and
cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to crisp up, about 3-4 minutes. Season
the chickpeas to taste with salt.

4. To serve, place a scoop of couscous on one side of large dinner bowls, and a
generous handful of chopped lettuce on the other. Top with diced cucumber,
pickled red onion, and lots of fresh chopped cilantro and parsley. Next, scatter
each bowl with the sautéed chickpeas and, if desired, some diced tomato.
Drizzle the bowls with the Tahini + Lemon Sauce, add a few shots of your favorite
hot sauce if desired, and serve at once.

*Onion Pickling Liquid:
1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Water
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt

*Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Spice Blend:
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp Ground Paprika
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

*Tahini + Lemon Sauce
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Clove Garlic
2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley
1/2 Cup Tahini
1/3 Cup Water
Salt to Taste