What to Cook

When you think of Mediterranean food, you probably think of olive oil, nuts and seeds and healthy Greek salads. But there are plenty of decadent and not-so-diet friendly dishes, like baklava and fried falafel, which could use a little lightening up. Check out my healthier versions — both deliver the same delicious flavor for a fraction of the calories. Baked Falafel by Laura Vitale There's no arguing that falafels are deep-fried deliciousness. Made with spiced mashed chickpeas or fava beans (or both), they may be small but they can pack a ton of calories. To remake the classic Middle Eastern dish, I lightened up the ingredients and baked them instead of fried them. The finished product is a better-for-you version that's just as indulgent. Take a taste and see if you agree! Baklava Popcorn by Joy Bauer If you're a fan of baklava, the flaky Greek dessert made with filo dough, butter, nuts and honey, then you should give my baklava popcorn a sho...

When you think of Mediterranean food, you probably think of olive oil, nuts and seeds and healthy Greek salads. But there are plenty of decadent and not-so-diet friendly dishes, like baklava and fried falafel, which could use a little lightening up. Check out my healthier versions — both deliver the same delicious flavor for a fraction of the calories. Baked Falafel by Laura Vitale There's no arguing that falafels are deep-fried deliciousness. Made with spiced mashed chickpeas or fava beans (or both), they may be small but they can pack a ton of calories. To remake the classic Middle Eastern dish, I lightened up the ingredients and baked them instead of fried them. The finished product is a better-for-you version that's just as indulgent. Take a taste and see if you agree! Baklava Popcorn by Joy Bauer If you're a fan of baklava, the flaky Greek dessert made with filo dough, butter, nuts and honey, then you should give my baklava popcorn a shot. It has all the same flavo...

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The fast-casual Syriana, operated by Alkai’s parents, Basem Alkai and Ritta Kallas, offers sandwiches such as beef or chicken shawarma, shish tawook, sujuk and burgers; entrees such as tilapia, toshka and chicken tenders; and salads such as fattoush and tabouli.

MANASSAS, VA — A new Halal Guys restaurant, with an outdoor dining space that allows for social distancing, has opened in Bull Run Plaza. The Manassas area restaurant is the fourth location in Northern Virginia for Khurram Burney, a local franchise owner for The Halal Guys. The restaurant's hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Along with the new restaurant at 11760 Sudley Manor Dr. in Manassas, Burney operates Halal Guys restaurants in Fairfax, Springfield and Alexandria. The Halal Guys, known for gyro, chicken and falafel sandwiches and platters, started as a food cart parked on the corner of 53rd and 6th Avenue in New York City in 1990 by three men from Egypt who came to the U.S. in search of a better life. The founders had noticed many Muslim cab drivers in New York City were looking for a place to buy halal food in Manhattan. In 2014, The Halal Guys began expanding the halal cuisine from the food cart into restaurants and now operates more than 90 locations within the U...

I got straight down to ordering what sounded most interesting: A Rye Feast, Chicken Pizza Mac, Nordic Chicken Salad, McVegan, and Falafel Bites. Rachel's order. Rachel Hosie/Insider It turns out you can customize any burger with a rye or gluten-free bun, which is cool. Order placed, I waited to collect my feast — you can have table service, but I didn't want staff to judge me for having five meals to myself. Waiting to pick up the order. Rachel Hosie/Insider After a longer than expected wait, my order was ready and I found a spot to sit down. It was a lot of food. A five-dish Finnish McDonald's feast. Rachel Hosie/Insider First up, the much-hyped McVegan burger (€3/$3.50). The McVegan burger. Rachel Hosie/Insider Truth be told, all I tasted was mayo and the whole thing was incredibly mushy. It was better when I scraped some of the mayo off, and actually the vegan patty on its own was tasty — but it was overwhelmed by the bun...

Homebound chefs could cook along with Yassin Terou Wednesday, who turned a passion for cooking into a nationally-known restaurant. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — There is one secret ingredient to Yassin Terou's falafel recipe: kindness. If Yassin's Falafel House has one message, it's that kindness is meant to be shared and when people are around one of their tables, they're family. So, he hosted an online cooking class with his family on Wednesday and showed people how to make some classic dishes. People cooked along with Yassin as he chopped lettuce, boiled water and prepared a salad for dinner. He was joined with his wife at his side during the live demonstration. Yassin's Falafel House was named "the nices place in America" in 2018 by Good Morning America. It has also hosted several community-oriented events, such as a food giveaway as people faced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Thank you very much for having us, and for all ...

CLOSE Yassin Terou, owner of Yassin's Falafel Hut, talks about getting his U.S. citizenship and what it means. Knoxville News Sentinel Yassin Terou, the owner of the Reader’s Digest’s 2018 Nicest Places in America winner and Knoxville's favorite falafel fryer, is hosting a virtual cooking class for people who want to try their hand at Middle Eastern food for a good cause.  Terou is teaming up with the InterNASHional Food Series, a two-month-long food festival that celebrates immigrant chefs across Tennessee, to host the online cooking class for the first time and benefit the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). Proceeds will be donated to TIRRC to support its mission of making Tennessee more welcoming to all – something Terou strives to do at his Yassin's Falafel House restaurants.  "My goal is to get connected with people, not only like to cook the food, but also we want to have a fun night that brings together ...

As the COVID-19 outbreak in Oregon continues to impact the local restaurant market, stories are popping up across the city, from food cart owners giving away free meals to chefs starting Instagram cooking classes . In this new version of AM Intel, we dive into different ways the state’s food service industry has been responding to the global pandemic. For more COVID-19 stories, check out our larger story stream . Insurance Suit The longstanding Ringside Steakhouse, in addition to music venues Mississippi Studios, Polaris Hall, and Revolution Hall, have all filed a lawsuit against their insurer, Cincinnati Insurance Co., for denied COVID-19-related claims. They join the several restaurants and bars around the country that have started suing their insurance companies related to loss of income not covered by their plans. RingSide is seeking at least $236,000. [PBJ] Garbonzos Is Back An old-school Portland chain of falafel shops, Garbonzos, has returned as a food cart, and the Or...

Rumor Has It Of Falafel and the Future Wednesday, August 5, 2020 In my never-ending, but hopefully ending sometime in the near future, quest to be the world’s pushiest independent venue advocate, I’ve got more hot tips as to how we can help keep our shuttered venues afloat until live music can ring forth and fill their coffers again. In very welcome and long-awaited news, the Racket is open for takeout and delivery—and even has a wee bit of outdoor seating for folks who simply can’t wait to tear into their Philly cheesesteaks and falafel sandwiches. The Racket’s hours are abbreviated and changing as they tweak their systems, so check online or call to be up on the most current details. They’re also offering to-go cocktails, which means I will not have to spend a summer without drinking the Blood of the Earth, otherwise known as “that beet thing,” otherwise known as my favorite cocktail in town that does not come in the form of a Jell-O shot. Speaking of Jell-O shots—because I am ...

A new Mediterranean spot, offering sandwiches and more, has made its debut in the neighborhood. Called Z Falafel, the new addition is located at 806 W. Eighth St., Suite A in Downtown. Z Falafel provides Mediterranean cuisine. On the menu, look for falafel plate, chicken shawarma bowl or grape leaves. View the menu here. With a five-star rating out of six reviews on Yelp so far, the newcomer is on its way to developing a local fan base. Irene H., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on April 17, wrote, "This place is the best Mediterranean restaurant in downtown LA. Their food is so delicious, especially their falafel and hummus... Their [kebab] is so damn good." Yelper Mark E. added, “Finally, Mediterranean food that [is] worth mentioning... Best falafel and hummus.” Head on over to check it out: Z Falafel is open from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.) Want to keep your finger on the pulse of new businesses in Los Angeles...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -The owner of Yassin’s Falafel House announced he became a U.S. citizen Tuesday. Yassin Terou announced on Twitter that his dream came true. “It’s always been an honor to be part of the American community but today is special because I’m going to continue the dream and the work as a citizen of the land of the American dream,” said Terou in a Twitter post. THE DREAM COME TRUE , You can call me a US citizen now , Is always been my honour to be part of the American community but today is special because I’m going to continue the dream and the work as citizen of the land of the American dream , Thank to all of you who support me... pic.twitter.com/RDkMIyvDox — Yassin (@Yassin_Falafel) June 23, 2020 Terou continued to thank his attorney Hammad Sheikh for helping him with the application and says he looks forward to more celebration and hard work to continue in America. Copyright 2020 WVLT. All rights reserved.

When Liba Falafel first took to the streets in 2009, it was one of only a small handful of non-taco food trucks that had started to proliferate in the Bay Area at the time. This was well before big food truck rallies like Off the Grid became an everyday feature of the local food scene — when the idea that you could order a falafel sandwich, Indian-inflected burrito, or red velvet cupcake off a truck still felt like an utter novelty. The business remained popular even after going through several permutations over the past decade, as founder Gail Lillian adapted it to the changing times — most notably by retiring the truck in 2016 to focus on Liba, its fast-casual restaurant incarnation. But it turns out that the coronavirus pandemic was the one challenge the restaurant could not survive. June 10 was the restaurant’s last day of business, as Berkeleyside Nosh first reported. “The things that don’t work about this industry were magnified by the problems that I was about to face while na...

Liba, located at 380 17th St. in Oakland, permanently closed on June 10 after being in business for 11 years. Liba, located at 380 17th St. in Oakland, permanently closed on June 10 after being in business for 11 years. Photo: Gizelle Q. On Yelp (L)/ Amy M. On Yelp (R) Photo: Gizelle Q. On Yelp (L)/ Amy M. On Yelp (R) Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Image 1 of 32 Liba, located at 380 17th St. in Oakland, permanently closed on June 10 after being in business for 11 years. Liba, located at 380 17th St. in Oakland, permanently closed on June 10 after being in business for 11 years. Photo: Gizelle Q. On Yelp (L)/ Amy M. On Yelp (R) Oakland falafel restaurant permanently shutters after 11 years 1  /  32 Back to Gallery For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. Liba restaurant had recently reopened for takeout and delivery following months of temporary closure, but after a brief trial p...

Kismet Falafel, the fast-casual stall from chefs Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson in Grand Central Market, has closed permanently. “We didn’t feel we could sustain [Kismet Falafel] in the current climate,” Kramer said in an email. “We need to focus our energy where it makes the most sense, sad as it makes us.” The closure comes as many small restaurants across the country are struggling to maintain their financial footing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kramer and Hymanson opened Kismet Falafel in 2015 under the name Madcapra. The white-tiled lunch counter was best known for its crunchy green-hued, rectangular-shaped falafel served in a sandwich or salad with pickles and herbaceous hot sauce. Advertisement The chefs would later open Kismet in Los Feliz in 2017 and Kismet Rotisserie in 2019. Those restaurants remain open for takeout. Nicole Rucker’s pop-up Fat & Flour, which is currently operating out of a different location in the market, is slated to take over the s...

click image Instagram / eatgarbanzo Medical Center-area eatery Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh is celebrating International Falafel Day all weekend by offering its signature trio of the crisp chickpea-based morsels as a free add-on to any food order. The Garbanzo team promises to keep the homage to falafel going through the month, each week releasing a new flavor of the Middle Eastern vegetarian staple. Garbanzo, located at 11075 Huebner Oaks, is a build-your-own concept that offers pitas, wraps, salads and bowls that diners fill with their choices of proteins, veggies and sauces. Mediterranean staples such as baba ganoush and tabbouleh round out the menu, providing protein-rich alternatives to red meat. Mediterranean meals are typically heavy on plant-based foods and feature only moderate amounts of dairy, poultry, seafood and eggs. So many restaurants, so little time. Find out the latest San Antonio dining news with our Flavor Friday Newsletter.

Craving falafel? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable falafel hot spots in Chicago, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to fulfill your urges. 1. Falafel & Grill photo: baker a./yelp Topping the list is Falafel & Grill. Located at 1317 N. Milwaukee Ave. (between Paulina Street and Hermitage Avenue.) in Wicker Park, the Middle Eastern spot, which offers falafel and more, is the highest-rated cheap falafel spot in Chicago, boasting 4.5 stars out of 475 reviews on Yelp. The menu also offers lentil soup and grape leaves. 2. Sultan's Market photo: alex b./yelp Next up is Wicker Park's Sultan's Market, situated at 2057 W. North Ave. (between Hoyne Avenue). With four stars out of 1,304 reviews on Yelp, the Middle Eastern and vegetarian spot, offering falafel and more, has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for a low-priced option. Try the baklava. The site has lots more infor...

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. The 2011 film “Forks Over Knives” helped start a food revolution—one anchored in the conversion to a plant-based diet. The documentary launched the idea that those who switched from an animal-based diet to one rooted in plants could decrease their risk of diabetes and cancer. Nearly 10 years later, the “Forks Over Knives” crew has launched a plant-based cookbook, “ Forks Over Knives Family ,” by doctors Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman, a book that, like the film, is geared toward the whole family.  Related Reading: 9 Delicious Vegan Snacks to Buy Online Page through the book and you’ll find 300 vegan and oil-free recipes, cobbled together from a slew of dieticians, recipe developers, and chefs including Julieanna Hever, Judy Micklewright, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and Darshanna Thacker. You’ll find recipes for chocolate chip coconut pa...

Craving falafel? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable falafel spots in Philadelphia, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fill the bill. [embedded content] 1. Bitar's photo: nick d./yelp Topping the list is Bitar's. Located at 947 Federal St. in Passyunk Square, the Middle Eastern and Greek spot, which offers falafel and more, is the highest-rated inexpensive falafel spot in Philadelphia, boasting 4.5 stars out of 143 reviews on Yelp.  If you're hungry for more, we found these details about Bitar's. "Bitar's is an award-winning specialty food store and restaurant located in South Philadelphia originating in 1974," per the history section of its Yelp profile. On the menu, look for build-your-own falafel sandwiches, along with pizza pies, chicken platters and more.  2. Mamoun's Falafel photo: mamoun's falafel/yelp Old City's location of the national chain Mamoun'...

Looking to sample the best falafel around town? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable falafel hot spots in San Jose, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to meet your needs. 1. Falafel's Drive-In photo: john d./yelp Topping the list is Falafel's Drive-In. Located at 2301 Stevens Creek Blvd. in West San Carlos/Burbank, the Middle Eastern and fast food spot is the most popular affordable falafel spot in San Jose, boasting four stars out of 4,353 reviews on Yelp. In addition to falafel, this family-owned restaurant serves up gyro salads, hummus, tabbouleh and baklava. 2. Sultan Bakery photo: tori a./yelp Next up is downtown's Sultan Bakery, situated at 670 Stockton Ave. With 4.5 stars out of 330 reviews on Yelp, the bakery has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for a low-priced option. The spot offers "Middle Eastern sweets and breads," according to its website. On the menu, you...