Falafel, according to many sources, is the "fast food" of the Middle East. A commonplace meal, it's often eaten as a substitute for meat. Since it's made with garbanzo beans (or sometimes fava beans, or both), it can be eaten with either meat or dairy, according to kashrut dietary law. Hummus, one of the usual accompaniments to falafel, also can be eaten with either meat or dairy, as it contains many of the same ingredients. But, both foods are equally popular among Israel's Arabs and other non-Jews.
Because its easy around here to find quality falafel mix and prepared hummus in most groceries, I saved some time and used store-bought versions of both. That helped make this a weeknight meal you can pull together in a flash. (If you want to make yours from scratch, here's a falafel recipe and a hummus recipe you could try.)
To balance out this hearty pairing, a salad is usually served alongside. In fact, salads are often enjoyed with every meal, including a traditional breakfast. This cucumber salad is simply flavored with lemon juice, olive oil and herbs, highlighting the freshness of the veggies.
The measurements are fairly vague, allowing you to prepare it to your taste. You can also add other ingredients, like chopped onion or carrots, if that's something you'd enjoy. Have fun with it and try something new each time.
This salad was so refreshing, I'll probably keep it on hand as a healthy snack throughout the summer. Here's how I made it:
1 English (seedless) cucumber
4 roma tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
Feta cheese
Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (and the zest, if you like)
Fresh parsley, minced
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Chop all the veggies, crumble the feta and place the mixture into a bowl. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and add the lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
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