PB&J? No Thanks. I Have Moved On.

We are recently back from a whirlwind tour of the United States and there is one thing we missed all summer long - Israeli food. Delicious shawarma and legendary hummus. Kubbeh and bamia. And not to mention all the bakery delicacies. We tried several times to recreate our favorite Israeli meals for friends and they always fell just a little bit short. But the moment we landed, there were endless food options, including crispy falafel.

Falafel was a hard sell for me before we lived here. My experience included boxed falafel mix that you bake or fry and eat hours later in a days old pita. Who could blame me for refusing to jumpstart my Israeli food palette with falafel? But I am living proof that people change their minds because when falafel is made right and you eat it seconds out of the fryer it is outstanding!

Don’t believe me? Check out this delicious summer lunch. Is your mouth watering over the hot and crunchy falafel? Perfectly spiced vegan shawarma over layered crisp Israeli cucumbers and ripe, mouth watering tomatoes? Or how about that bowl of creamy hummus perfection? And missing from the picture is fresh pita. Piping hot and fluffy pita that begs for just one more bite. And imagine, this is standard fare in this country! Lucky me.