Veggie Feast! Chickpea Fritters, Homemade Naan and Tzatziki Sauce with Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Cilantro

On Sundays I'm supposed to either try new recipes out and experiment because I have more time to cook or I'm supposed to make a ton of food for the rest of the week because I have more time to cook.  How often does either happen in real life?  Rarely.  There have been so many times when we've just gone out to eat instead or I've served doctored-up leftovers.  

But tonight I did it!  I did something new!  In fact, I made two new things!  And my kids ate these new things!  And, most important of all - everyone in the family loved these new dishes!  Success! 

These are chickpea fritters from Martha Stewart Everyday Food.  Inspired by falafel, they're simple and delicious.  In honor of the official start of the NHL season, we decided to call these Hockey Pucks.

To go with these, I thought it'd be fun to try my hand at homemade naan.  Ok, it didn't taste like restaurant naan.   But for a first attempt, they turned out all right.  My kids said at first, "This doesn't taste as good as regular naan."  Then the next thing I knew, they were cramming seconds and thirds into their faces and requesting naan for lunch the next day. Hmmmm....must've been passable.  To gild the lily, I whipped up a quick tzatziki.  Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of Greek yogurt, this can be made in no time at all.  Serve everything with sides of chopped heirloom tomatoes, cucumber sticks, fresh cilantro, and plain Greek yogurt if your kids don't like tzatziki.

• • Chickpea Fritters - Martha Stewart Everyday Food
  • (This recipe doubles the Martha Stewart recipe and makes a few minor changes).
  • 2 cans (15.5 ounces) rinsed and drained chickpeas
  • 3/4 cup sliced scallions
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro (leave out and serve on the side if someone in your family doesn't like cilantro...you can also replace with basil)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • Canola oil or olive oil
  • In a food processor, pulse together chickpeas, scallions, and cilantro until a coarse paste forms. Pulse in flour, egg, and salt. Heat 1/4 inch olive oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add chickpea mixture to skillet, 1/4 cup at a time, pressing to form patties. Cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once, 4 to 5 minutes. 

Homemade Naan - Carey Nershi 
Makes 16 naan

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

3/4 cups warm milk

1 cup plain yogurt

Melted butter or ghee (for brushing)

Optional toppings or add-ins: garlic, onion, herbs, cheese

1. Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy. In the

meantime, combine flours, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. Make a well in the center.

2. Stir milk and yogurt together. Once the yeast mixture is foamy, stir it into the yogurt and milk. Pour into the well of the dry ingredients.

3. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, then knead dough until smooth. Place dough in a well-oiled

bowl, cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and let rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

4. When dough is ready, punch down and turn out on a well-floured surface. Divide in half, then divide each half into eight pieces of equal size. Roll each piece out into a thin oval approximately 6 inches long and 1/8 inch thick. Heat a cast iron skill over medium-high heat on the stove top.

5. Once pan is hot, brush each side of the naan with melted butter/ghee. (If adding toppings like

onion/garlic/spice, add them to the second side you brush with butter and gently press them into the

dough.)

6. Place dough into your skillet. (If you’ve adding toppings, place it topping side-up.) Let cook for

around 1 minute, or until dough puffs and bubbles form on top.  Flip and cook for another minute.  Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Tzatziki - Barefoot Contessa
(this recipe is slightly altered from the original Barefoot Contessa recipe)

2 (7 ounce) containers Greek yogurt, such as Fage Total 
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded  
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill 
1½ teaspoons minced garlic 
2 teaspoons kosher salt 
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Grate the cucumber on a box grater and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove some of the liquid. Add it to the yogurt along with the lemon juice, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. If you have time, you can refrigerate this to let the flavors combine, or you can serve right away.