Israeli Tomato + Cucumber Salad with Lentil Falafel

Open and drain the lentils. Or cook from scratch according to the package instructions and drain. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as you can.

Place in a food processor and add flour, cumin, green onion, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg and 1 clove garlic. Blend until it sticks together but isn’t too wet; and mostly smooth with a few coarse pieces. Pat your hands in a little oil or water and shape into falafel patties, about ¼ cup in size. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a baking sheet and use that to coat the patties. Bake in the lowest part of the oven for about 15 - 18 minutes or until golden brown, flip about halfway through (see culinary skills for pan searing option).

Get ready to chop.

Dice the tomatoes into small ¼” cubes, adding them and their juices to a bowl as you go. Dice the cucumber to the same size cubes. Dice the red onion into the same size as well - if you only want to use ½ of the onion, save the other ½ for a different use.

Mince the other clove of garlic finely and add in ½ of it - reserve the rest for the tahini sauce. Zest and juice ½ of the lemon into the bowl. Add ¼ cup of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir gently but thoroughly. Set aside to rest for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the ½ cup tahini, 1 teaspoon honey, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, and 1 Tablespoon water until it’s smooth. Add the remaining minced garlic and a pinch of salt to taste.

Plate the falafel patties and a generous scoop of tomato salad. Serve the tahini sauce over top. If desired, serve with a side flatbread.