Mystic pulls a fast one

The last few days, I've given Mom a break from walking Mystic in the morning, or at least I thought I did. Thursday morning, I left a note on the fridge whiteboard saying that I'd walked and fed Mystic. Yesterday, I thought Mom heard us moving around, so I didn't bother. Then I went out for a hike in Biscuit Run. Half an hour later, Mystic was in by Mom's bed, whining and scratching at the side of the bed like she was desperate to go. Mom had slept through the racket when I walked and fed Mystic earlier, and was sure she hadn't been out yet. So Mom walked her, too, though it was soon apparent, when Mystic didn't have to pee or poop in the middle of the road, as is her wont lately, that she'd already been out. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Tricksy dog!

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I've been going through our list of favorite recipes lately looking for ones that haven't made it onto the blog yet, and this one jumped out at everyone. There are a fair number of ingredients, but both the falafel sliders and the avocado hummus come together in a jiffy in the food processor, so it's actually a pretty quick and easy dinner.

Someone assembled their slider upside down.

Falafel Sliders with Avocado Hummus

Adapted from Chloe's Kitchen (2012) by Chloe Coscarelli (video)

Time: 45 minutes

If you use sun-dried tomatoes that aren't packed in oil (like these), you may want to add a drop of olive oil to the food processor with the rest of the Falafel Slider ingredients.

Falafel Sliders
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, divided
½ small red onion or 1 large shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
5 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained (see note)
½ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ cup (60 grams) spelt or chickpea flour (substitute all-purpose or any gluten-free flour)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Avocado Hummus
¼ cup chickpeas, reserved from the sliders
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
⅓ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
¼ cup (53 grams) olive oil
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

To Serve
12 slider rolls or mini hamburger buns, halved and toasted
2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced

    1. For the falafel sliders: Set aside ¼ cup of the chickpeas for the Avocado Hummus. Place the remaining chickpeas and all of the other ingredients except the oil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until the ingredients are well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl. (Don't wash the food processor yet.) Form into twelve 2-by-½-inch patties.
    2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Fry the patties in two batches until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
    3. For the avocado hummus: Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and puree. Taste for seasoning.
    4. To serve: Layer the sliders, hummus, and sliced tomatoes on the buns. Serves 4.