Pregnancy Cravings

Super close up: Falafel Ball

I'm sure we all know a few pregnancy stereotypes. I know I've heard my share over the years. Either from TV or from friends. Pregnant women are emotional, they can suddenly snap and be huge bitches and they have sudden urges for very specific foods. The cravings thing is always played up on comedy sitcoms. It leaves men running out in their slippers on  a cold winters night for chocolate ice cream and dill pickles. It has men turning around to head back to the store for a bag of crinkle cut potato chips when they bought the regular lays, not realizing the different would make their pregnant wife cry.

Well, so far I've put these stereotypes to shame. I've been pretty great to be around, if I do say so myself. I know, because I'm around myself 24/7 and if I'm grumpy, I hate it and I'm really hard on myself. I'm sure some women are beasts to be around when they're with child, but some women are horrible when they aren't pregnant too. The cravings thing I was thinking was a load of crap as well. I hadn't had any REAL cravings. I had food aversions the first three months. Ham steak made me cry while alone in my kitchen one time. "But it's so... slimy!" I thought pickles, mustard and anything vinegar based was the bees knees in my 4th month. I just never had that light bulb go off compelling me to eat only one specific thing. Like a food emergency. Like your baby inside of you has a switch blade and they're threatening your life unless you eat cauliflower dipped in carmel apple sauce. It hadn't happened.... until.

Sliced turnips in brine with a few sliced beets for color.

There is was. It hit my like a ton of bricks. I want falafel. I don't want box crap, I don't want to go to a restaurant, I want falafel like I used to make at the Lebanese restaurant I worked at for a few years. And I want that falafel with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle, tahini sauce and turnip pickles. You can't just go to the regular old grocery store and buy turnip pickles. I would have to make them, and wait a week for them to ferment. Okay. This is a intense craving that will take days to fulfill. This cannot be remedied by waking my husband in the middle of the night and forcing him to drive to the AM PM. No, I will have to handle this myself.

Falafel is a long process, but once you've made the mix you can freeze it and it keeps for a long time. Then you can just thaw what you need to fry a batch and make sandwiches. I went to the store and bought dry beans: chick peas and fava beans. Fresh herbs, onions, garlic, pita, lemon juice, turnips, beets, pickling salt and vinegar. This would be everything I need to make my beloved falafel and proper condiments.

Falafel, mix, chop, fry and assemble.

First, start the pickles. Slice, layer, vinegar, salt and water. Close the jar and into the fridge. Easy, the waiting part is hard. Next for the falafel. I started by soaking the beans over night. The next day, everything into the food processor. Mix it up and we're done. Okay, it sounds easier than it is. I skipped all the boring details. Interested in making falafel? Look it up online. They have every recipe in the whole world available. If it seems to easy and it uses canned beans, move on. It is worth the nights soak and the extra plucking of parsley for the best falafel.

So two days later, I could wait no longer. I would eat my turnip pickles before they were done. That's okay. The really amazing part was that I did not lose that craving. It was a strong urge, a pull, a drive to have this meal. It became very important to me, and I'd be damned to let this be forgotten. I fried the falafel, chopped some lettuce, tomato and pickles and make the tahini sauce.

That was the best friggin' dinner I have ever had. It was so worth all the work and waiting. My husband is the luckiest mofo on earth. Instead of wandering into the darkness in search of dill pickle flavored chips and buffalo sauce, he is sitting down with me to enjoy a delicious homemade meal. I like to keep him happy. He keeps me happy too. That dinner was rich with delicious and many compliments.

Stay tuned for pregnancy craving #2...