Eco-Photo

Ken and I do not see ourselves as experts on making falafel, but we have to say, “We LOVE this recipe!”.  It’s been adapted from a youtube video by Mimi.  I thought Ken was CRAZY when he said he was only getting his recipes from youtube, but I have to admit sometimes it’s easier to watch someone make a dish rather than trying to read the instructions. We’d love to have more ideas for what to do with sprouted beans, so if you have your own favorites, please respond to this post or drop me an email.

Here’s Ken’s recipe:

This was the first falafel recipe i had seen that had a TON of fresh herbs and spices; so good for you, i had to try it. One of the secrets of falafel is the texture of using un-cooked beans; we kick it up a notch by spouting our uncooked beans.

This is a double batch (makes 50 falafel balls the size of golf ball). I’m lazy, so I like to make a ton and freeze half of it (uncooked) for later.

Ingredients:
4 cups dried chickpeas, sprouted for about 2 days
2 bunches fresh parsley
2 bunches fresh cilantro
1 to 2 cups minced red onion
8 cloves fresh garlic (crushed)
4 T cumin seed
4 T cumin ground
2 T coriander seed
2 T coriander ground
2 T salt
2 t fresh ground black pepper
note : “T” = tablespoon and “t” = teaspsoon
note : vary the spices as you wish: more/less of what you desire

Instructions:
Combine spouted beans (uncooked), cilantro, parley, onion and garlic in large bowl and mince with immersion/hand blender.
Do in batches if you have small bowl.
Add all spices and mix thoroughly.
Be patient; the goal is to achieve a final consistency that you can form into balls with your hands like playdough.
The balls will be a lovely greenish brown due to the fresh herbs.

Make aprox 50 balls from the mixture the size of a golf ball by squishing and rolling in your hands (great for kids and good zen practice!).
Place on a large tray or cooking sheet.

To freeze 25 for a rainy day:
Place half the balls on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 30 mins, when they are hard, remove from cookie sheet and place in ziploc freezer bag(s).

To fry up 25 falafel balls:
Heat peanut oil to 300 degrees.
Use enough oil to cover the falafel ball in a pot as big as you like depending on your time vs how many balls you want to make.
Deep fry for 1.5 to 2 mins then turn with tongs or slotted spoon.
Then deep fry for 1.5 to 2 mins more.
The goal is a nice dark brown color and a crunchy texture.

For reference : I use a small 6 inch pot with an inch of oil and cook 3 falafel balls at a time with a thermometer.

Do the math : 25 falafel balls divided by 3 = 8.3 batches x 3 mins a batch =  a total of 25 minutes frying time.

So, fry for half an hour and you got falafel all week plus half to go in the freezer for another week.
Note : I like to save the oil for frying future falafel. It’s fine to use for 3 times or say 3 months?

Serving instructions for lovers:
Grill 2 pita breads with butter, garlic salt, dried dill, and paprika.
Take 3 falafels and break in half.
Place 1.5 balls on each pita.
Top with any of the following: fresh tomoatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, tzaki sauce, tahini sauce, feta
add a squeeze of fresh lemon and/or hot sauce if desired.
Enjoy.

My latest newsletter is out and it features Nau.com and Wingnut Confections.

Shawn Linehan Green Adventures #007 - Be Here Nau

I was amazed to learn that eggs are the result of hens ovulating. Unlike humans, they ovulate almost every day which results in a delicious egg. If a rooster is around then the egg gets fertilized but the chickens lay the eggs regardless. I don’t think they mind us taking their eggs. I learned these facts while photographing chickens which I featured in my April newsletter.

Along with my wonder at nature’s bounty I also learned some rather gruesome facts about conventional eggs. Each backyard chickener I met talked about the horrible living conditions of chickens in the “factory farms” which provide conventional eggs.  I did a little research online and found that our huge appetite for big profits and cheap food has driven the current model of the commercial chicken factory farm. The goal of the factory farm is to get the most egg out of the each chicken. This has lead to the widespread practice of raising chickens in battery cages. Battery cages are small wire mesh cages where the chickens live. With no room to walk or to spread their wings the chicken’s energy is used for the sole purpose of laying eggs. By limiting their movement and feeding them hormones, the factory farms realized they could get more eggs out of each chicken.

Not surprisingly, these conditions make the chickens sick and aggressive. Like other livestock factory farms, antibiotics are used regularly on factory chickens. This habit of feeding chickens and other livestock antibiotics is causing stronger strains of pathogens in humans and it is having deadly consequences.  I also heard that they cut the tips off the chickens beaks so they can’t peck each other. I guess they don’t need their beaks anyway since they are never allowed outside!

I did not visit a factory farm so I cannot say I saw these things with my own eyes.  But this brings up the question of trust. Like many, I’m having trouble trusting big food corporations. I have lived most of my life assuming that the food available to me in the grocery store is good for me. But recent research into the widespread use of ingredients like hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup have changed my assumptions. Now I question everything and trust my own experiences.

My experience with true, free-range eggs is that they taste eggier, the yolks are darker, and I feel more connected to my community. I call them “true” because apparently loose guidelines exist for the term free-range and some egg companies call their eggs free-range even though they only allow the hens access to the outdoors through a small door for one hour a day – not what I would call free-range. Alternately, organic eggs must conform to the more stringent rules and are probably the safest bet for buying in the stores.

So I have switched to buying eggs from local farmers. Humane aspects aside, eating pastured eggs seems healthier.  If we are what we eat, I’d rather eat an egg from a healthy, happy free-range chicken than a sick, depraved factory chicken. Ultimately, I’m responsible for my health and for the food that I put into my body. I recommend doing a quick search on localharvest.org to find a local egg farmer in your area or do some online research on the eggs available to you in the grocery store.  Call up the egg farm and see if you can visit, even if you don’t plan to go. I find that the reputable farmers are open to visitors and I’m suspicious of the one’s who don’t.

I also want to mention a DVD that Frank of Crippled Crow Farm gave me.  It’s called Wegman’s Cruelty and it is a 30 minute documentary on factory farm eggs. It is not easy to watch, but it’s proof that these farms exist.  Also, my friend Christie gave me an article on a study Mother Earth News sponsored comparing the nutrients in true, free-range eggs to conventional eggs that you can see here.

And what happens to the chickens when they are done laying? A lot of the backyard chickens let them live and have a natural death. Others have them “processed” at small chicken processing plants to be used as “stew” chickens. Many ethnic families, still knowledgeable in the old ways, will buy your chickens and prepare and cook them. Bok-Bok!

After visiting a grass-fed cattle farm in Texas (see December 2008), I wanted to visit a grass-fed farm near home. I had bought meat a few times from Jonathan Ehmig’s booth at the Portland Farmers Market, so I decided to drop by his booth again and ask if I could visit his Highland Oak Farm. Jonathan was more than happy to let me visit and he encouraged me to come out before all the leaves fell off the trees. I set up an appointment to visit and headed out early in the morning. We had a storm the day before which blew off a lot of the leaves and left behind some very dense fog that lingered for a few hours.

Jonathan has about 400 head of cattle and they all eat the grass from his many acres of land. The cows are grain fed on organic hay during the last couple of months of their lives, which he says helps to make the meat tender. I can personally vouch for the tenderness and juicy flavor of his beef. Before visiting his farm I purchased a new york strip steak and Ken created a lovely stir fry. Perhaps most people don’t stir fry New York Strip, but I must say it was the best stir fry meat I’ve had. It is comforting to know that his cows live a healthy life and are treated in a human manner. Here is a link to a gallery of photos I took of his farm. http://www.shawnlinehan.com/photos/highlandoak/

In the photos you’ll see an old, red, Chevrolet truck. Jonathan operates under the theory that dogs can stress out the cows so he and his father-in-law entice the cows to move between pastures by giving them hay out of the back the truck. It’s not easy work, but it seems like a good life.

I often go to Jamie Kitzrow’s Spring Hill Farm booth at the Portland Farmer’s Market. His vegetables always look healthy and beautiful and everything is organic. His farm is just like his booth - very neat rows of crops spread over many acres of beautiful, dark earth.  I was amazed to hear that Jamie grows around 80 types of vegetables each year. At the time I took these photos (November) he was harvesting kale, turnips, greens and onions which were just sprouting. While talking to Jamie about his current growing season and the stringent process of being organically certified I had an a-ha moment. He pulls a baby turnip out of the ground – the same type of turnip I had just eaten the day before – and I was instantly reminded of my very first time in the darkroom watching a print appear on the paper in the developing bath.  The two experiences had the same sense of “magic”. Instead of creating a print, I could create a delicious piece of food by planting a seed into the earth. Jamie says he is still amazed by the process, too.