Do you ever have those weeks, where you just need things to flow, to be and feel easy, with minimal effort and work required?? Well – I for one have many of those weeks lately. The output of mental energy often feels draining lately – and I’mma say the pandemic has a lot to do with that. It’s goes like this: I know I can do a simple task of preparing a nutritious meal for myself … but the mental effort required feels … well … draining!
For those days where you feel as if you just can’t do anything … having a nutritious meal on hand will really help to nourish your soul and give you back some of that energy. Trust me on this one. I get it, cookies and cake will also nourish your soul too … but after a while that too looses it’s sparkle and you need some simple nutrition back to feel good. (No judgement zone on cookies and cake, just an example) The word is moderation. And much of last year – had little to no moderation. So this year I am making an active effort to bring moderation back into my days.
This is one of those bowls for those days where you just need things to flow and you need to nourish yourself. This bowl comes together very quickly and you can even prep this bowl at the start of the week in under 30 mins.
Also, this tahini dressing is soooo darn good, I can drink it all up!! It’s a versatile recipe, because you can use this as a dressing or as a sauce. Be sure to check the notes in the recipe 🙂
Falafel Lentil Bowl with Tahini Feta Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can Westbrae Organic Lentil Beans rinsed and drained
- 1/3 of a cucumber diced
- 1/4 cup onions diced (red or white)
- 1/4 cup feta I used fat free kind
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced, depending on your garlic taste buds
- 3 tbsps parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsps mint finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sumac optional if you have it on hand
- sprinkle of garlic powder
- sprinkle of sea salt
- sprinkle of cracked black pepper
- sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- squeeze of lemon
- 1 package Trader Joe’s cooked Falafel
For Dressing:
- 4 tbsps tahini + 1 tbsp of liquid from jar
- 3 tbsps feta I used fat free
- 2 tbsps light sour cream
- 1/4 cup cold water + 1 tbsp as needed
- squeeze of lemon
- sea salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder
Garnish for Bowl:
- shredded iceberg lettuce
- diced tomatoes
Instructions
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Air fry the falafel at 400°F for 12 mins. Lightly spray the falafel first and then place in the air fryer. Flip over about half way through. I like to use 4 falafels per bowl, feel free to use as many as you like! Once done set aside.
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Lentil salad: In a large bowl combine lentil beans, cucumber, onions, feta, parsley, mint. Mix together. Next add in olive oil and spices mix. (I make this as a meal prep and heat up falafel during the week as I want.)
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Dressing: Place all ingredients in a small blender cup minus the spices and blend together. Next add in a sprinkle of the spices and squeeze of lemon juice and blend again. For a thick sauce consistency add a little less water. For a dressing consistency: follows directions as is and add up to a tbsp of water depending on preference.
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To assemble the bowl: place a good serving of the lentil salad in a large bowl. Then place air fried falafel next to the lentils. Place some shredded lettuce on the side. Place some diced tomatoes on the other side. Drizzle with tahini feta dressing & enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- You can prep this recipe at the start of the week and have it on hand during the week. I prefer to heat up the falafel each day and have the other parts of bowl ready to go.
- Westbrae Lentil Beans are some of my favorites! You can find at a local grocery store or online at amazon. Click here to see what the can looks like.
