The nice thing about hosting a community group is that you can use the meal to cater to your cravings, haha! Recently, I’ve had some insane cravings for falafel. And so:

From: Lauren, basically. Also a picture I saw at a Middle Eastern restaurant.
Serves: 10
Difficulty: Easy
People In The Kitchen: 3
Cost: Moderately expensive, depending on if you buy falafel mix + hummus or make your own.
Prep Time: 10 minutes with helpers, 15 minutes by yourself
Cook Time: about 10 minutes to fry the falafel
Toppings: Mint yogurt, hummus
Dessert: Hannah’s (no fat!) cheesecake squares

Ingredients:
For Mint Yogurt

8 oz plain yogurt
2-3 Tbsp dried mint
salt to taste

Mix yogurt and mint, add salt to taste. This will taste best if refrigerated for a few minutes.

For Hummus

1 can chick peas, drained
2 Tbsp tahini paste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend. Add more salt or lemon to taste.

For Falafal

2 Boxes of falafal mix (we used Near East brand)
2 Packages of Arabic bread
2 or 3 tomatoes, sliced (for topping)
1 onion, sliced (for topping)
1 cucumber, sliced (for topping)

Prepare falafel according to instructions on box. Meanwhile, heat oven to about 175. Slice arabic bread in half and put in oven to warm while making falafel. Place tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers on a plate so that people can add them to their falafel sandwiches.

Reaction: I though this tasted great, but I’m not sure how it went over with everyone else. People went for seconds, and particularly seemed to like the hummus as a topping. Probably an 8 or 9 out of 10.

Group Size: 7 girls.

Group Involvement: 2 people sliced veggies, another person made the falafel, and someone else sliced the arabic bread.

Alterations: None that I know of.

If I made this again: I’d do it the same way.

Leftovers: There weren’t any