This week on Facebook I posted a quote by Dr. T. Colin Campbell from his book “Whole.” It said, “if we just take an isolated Vitamin C pill we miss out on the cast of supporting characters that give Vitamin C its potency.”
Dr. Campbell also says that removing Vitamin C from its context in plant foods is like sending a general into battle without any troops. In other words, natural vitamins from whole-plants are far more effective than dietary supplements because you need all the elements.
This is just one example of how Dr. Campbell views health protection. He also believes that poor nutrition can cause disease, good nutrition is vital to exceptional health, and that we should view health care holistically. So what does that mean?
Holistic medicine is when doctors look at the “whole person” when treating a patient and not just the disease.
There has been a large gap in modern medicine and food-borne illness, and many physicians do not advise their patients on nutrition when in actuality their disease is because of the food they eat. Sounds crazy, right?
If you have an illness that is connected to the food you eat, why would nutrition just be a sidebar by the physician? That is why we need to take our health into our own hands. We need to personally do more research and understand the connection between health and food.
We can't depend exclusively on the majority of our health-care advisors and government agencies who are not adequately trained in nutrition. The modern approach to health care reform needs to treat and reverse disease with nutrition, and prevent disease with healthy whole, plant-based foods. You are worth it and nature is holding out its hand with all the medicine you need. Now on to some plant-based healing food.
Today I made some high-protein vegan falafel tacos with a smokey mole sauce.
That may sound exotic, but it is not has hard as you think. Falafels are a Middle Eastern dish of spiced mashed chickpeas formed into balls, deep-fried and usually eaten in pita bread. Well, you know me, I don't fry anything, so I baked them.
You can play around with the spices. Most Middle Eastern recipes call for coriander, cumin and fresh parsley. I used my vegan chili spices because they are always yummy, and replaced the fresh parsley with cilantro.
The dark, smokey and delicious mole is a signature sauce in Mexican cooking and usually takes hours to make. This is a quick, simple version and a perfect match for the falafel.
Use the extra sauce over tofu or grilled vegetable quesadillas. It is very versatile. If the mole has too many ingredients, skip it and top your falafel taco with a squeeze of sriracha or on top of a salad with a light tahini dressing.
Hope you enjoy this falafel tacos recipe as much as I did. Don't miss any of Ordinary Vegan's free recipes by signing up here.
Falafel Tacos with Spicy Mole Sauce
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 1 poblano pepper, roased, seeded and diced*
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
- ½ teaspooon salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 chipotle chili, canned and smoked in adobo sauce
- 1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilies
- ½ cup vegetable broth (or more if needed)
- 1 14 ounce carton of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- light sprinkling of cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (or more to taste)
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup fresh, chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1½ tablespoons flour
- 8 soft tortillas
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 1 avocado, pitted, skin removed and sliced
- ½ cup of fresh, chopped cilantro
- lime quarters for serving
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan.
- Saute onion until softened. Adding a little vegetable broth instead of oil if sticking.
- Add the dried spices, garlic and diced poblano pepper. Cook for another two minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, chipotle pepper and cocoa and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Add more vegetable broth if needed.
- Pour into a food processor and puree until nearly smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more vegetable broth for desired consistency.
- Heat the oven to 375 F. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. I prefer parchment paper
- Combine your falafel ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Turn into a bowl and refrigerate covered for an hour. *if you don't have time to refrigerate, it can go straight to oven.
- Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts. Place on cookie sheet and flatten a little with the back of a spoon.
- Bake in oven for 25 or until golden. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick saute pan and saute tortillas on both sides until browned. Place in aluminum foil to stay warm.
- Put 2-3 patties into the tortilla. Top with sliced avocado, sliced red onion, fresh cilantro and drizzle with spicy mole sauce or a squirt of sriracha. Serve with lime quarters and a side of fresh mango. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped red fresno chilis.
- *pre-heat oven to 425 F. Place whole poblano on a baking sheet. Roast 30 to 45 minutes until charred on all sides. turning with tongs. Transfer to paper bag or covered bowl and let steam 15 minutes or until cooled. Peel off skins. Or..
- *place oven rack on the top shelf. Turn oven to broiler. Place whole poblano on a baking sheet. Place under broiler until charred, turning 3-4 times. This only takes a few minutes on each side so keep a careful eye on it. Transfer to a paper bag or covered bowl and let steam 15 minutes or until cooled. Peel off skins.
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon