One of the hardest things I find about trying to maintain a food blog is taking photos. I'm a pretty terrible photographer by nature and I don't have much of an interest in getting better (aside from the fact that I would like nicer pictures on this blog). And then it's just the timing of it. The recipes and meals that I "plan" to blog about don't always necessary work out, or taste that good. Conversely, sometimes a recipe looks so simple that it doesn't really seem worth it at the time but then is SO good I really want to tell people about it!
The other day I was really craving a falafel for lunch. I had most of the necessary ingredients, but falafels take time. Time for chopping, shaping and frying/baking which just isn't going to happen when I'm ALREADY hungry (and believe me, the unreasonable hunger rage can occur with no warning at this point). I'd read something about a mashed chickpea spread recently so I decided to see what options I had. And this smashed chickpea salad recipe from Smitten Kitchen was the perfect alternative! All the falafel flavour with a mere fraction of the work involved, and lighter too (no frying!). Seriously. Amazing.
Smashed chickpea salad/spread
adapted from SmittenKitchen
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I did not use this as I didn't have any, and frankly I'm not a huge fan of parsley. But I might use it next time, falafels always seem to have it as an ingredient so you may miss it without)
Zest and juice from half a lemon
1-2 tbsp olive oil (I'm not really sure how much I used, just put enough in until it comes together a bit)
salt and pepper to taste
Throw all ingredients into a bowl. Mash the mixture with either a potato masher or a fork, until its the consistency you want. You'll probably have some whole chickpeas left but that's cool. Season to taste and eat in a pita with some veggies (we had cucumber and tomato) and tzatziki. See? So easy!
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