Falafel Pizza

I spent a lot of time deciding what I wanted out of this recipe.  At first, I was thinking of doing something new to a socca.  Then I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend the time cooking up chickpeas.  Hummus was considered, then also discarded as not really being what I was in the mood for, but I still kind of wanted tahini.

Then I thought of going crazy with a falafel pie and turning it into a Mediterranean-themed pizza.  Yes, that's what I wanted!  Nutritious, light, and a bit sinful at the same time.  Also, I only bought the cheese.

Pantry Challenge January may be almost over, but I still have a crazy amount on hand.  The only thing under control is the frozen vegetables, thanks to almost finishing off the artichokes with this.  I have zero chance of going through the beans, lentils, and rice before Passover, which is early this year.  That is going to be a lot to pack away.  All those prepper video estimates of how much a person eats in a month or year must be for someone who eats way more calories than I do and has every single meal at home.  I'm out for at least one meal every working day.  That was six days a week for a while, so I wasn't totally heartbroken when I tested positive and had to stay home for almost two weeks.  The fever and difficulty breathing weren't ideal, but I got some projects done around the house.

• *2/3 C dry chickpeas
• *1/2 C chopped onion
• *1/4 C fresh parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp baking powder
• *3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 C flour
• 1 Tb olive oil
• *2 Tb tahini paste
• *2 Tb lemon juice
• *1 C frozen artichokes, defrosted
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• *12 grape tomatoes, halved

1.  Soak chickpeas 18 hours, until softened.  Drained.  You can use canned if you have to, but the texture will be mushy.

2.  In a food processor, run chickpeas, onion, parsley, salt, paprika, cumin, baking powder, garlic, and flour into a chunky paste.

3.  Pour oil into a pie dish and spread around to grease.  Preheat oven to 375º

4.  In a small bowl, whisk together tahini paste and lemon juice.  If desired, season with a little salt and minced garlic.

5.  Press falafel mix into pie dish.  Pour tahini sauce onto surface and spread around, leaving a crust on the edges.

6.  Roughly chop the artichokes and distribute on the crust.  Add shallot slices.  Crumble feta if it's a block and sprinkle over everything.  Bake 25 minutes, until edges are well browned.

7.  After baking, top with halved tomatoes.  Cut and serve.

Makes 1 pie, 4-6 servings

Difficulty rating  :)