The dish we bring you this week is falafel and hummus! Chickpeas are the main character of these popular middle eastern recipes. Apart from being a healthy and nutritious source of protein, chickpeas have further benefits, as they provide vitamins, minerals and fiber. However, even though they look like the perfect vegan option, its production can be harmful for the environment. If the production includes the use of pesticides, it ends up affecting the wildlife and the ecosystems where it is grown. Chickpeas are often produced in countries like India, China or Pakistan, meaning that the labor conditions of the workers are unclear for us consumers. This way, we encourage the cook with fair trade chickpeas to ensure a fair livelihood for the workers.

There doesn't exist one right way of making falafel and hummus, or even a right way to eat them! It can be in a pitta, or with a flat bread, or just as an appetizer. It also can be made with fava beans and the ingredients vary for every chef, country, or even region. This way, we would like to teach you our own way of making it with the ingredients that we found in Oxfam.

The falafel counts with the following ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic (or as many as your garlic instinct tell you)
• Half an onion
• 1 can of Fair trade chickpeas
• 1 packet of falafel mix
• 1 pinch of comin
• 1 pinch of salt
• Parsley and coriander, or the one you like!
  

The hummus is way more simple!

• 1 can of Fair trade chickpeas
• Lemon juice
• Parsley (optional)
• A spoon of Fair trade Tahini a.k.a sesame paste
• 1 pinch of salt
• Paprika

• Cut the onion and the garlic. Dont worry too much about the shape, since everything will be blended.

• Take a suitable recipient to mix, or the one for the blender and put the onion, the garlic, the can of chickpeas and your spices.

• Mix or blend, don't do it too much for a better texture.

• Check the texture and make it thicker with some falafel mix.

• Let it chill in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour.

• This is the best time to prepare your hummus!

• Put all the ingredients aforementioned in a suitable recipient and mix!

• Decorate with some olive oil and paprika.

• When the falafel mix has had enough time in the fridge, it is time to shape it.

• Prepare a plate with some of the falafel mix.

• Take a spoon or do it with your hands a piece of the mix, and roll it to give it a ball shape in your hands.

• When you have your balls, cover them in falafel mix for a better texture.

• Repeat the process until finishing the mix or depending on how many people or how hungry you are.

• Warm a bit of olive oil in a pan. I decided to pan fry the falafel to avoid too much oil, but you can deep fry it or even cook it in the oven

• When pan frying, put the ball and when it is a bit cooked I recommend to flatten it with the aid of a spoon or any suitable kitchen tool.

• Once it is golden, flip it to the other side.

• Repeat the step until you complete everything and enjoy your homemade falafel!

TIPS:

• If you would prefer more of a chunky texture, you can smash all the ingredients with the help of a fork.
  
• If you want, you could add some tahini to the final result for extra flavor.
  
• You can add anything else you would like to the mixture, get experimental!